


With a Little Soul that Could

by century_berry



Series: The Weight of a Soul [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A Tour Led By Yours Truly, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Aftertale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Crosstale | XTale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Dancetale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Dreamtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Farmtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Flowerfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Glitchtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Handplates (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Oceantale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Outertale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Reapertale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Reset!Underswap (skesgo), Alternate Universe - Storyshift (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underlust (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), An Undertale Fan's Guide to the Multiverse, And Bonding through Cooking, Angst, Choo Choo Goes the Pain Train, Deltarune References, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Get Ready for Lots of Lame Puns, Gift Fic, It took 36 chapters for him to finally make an appearance, Nevermind a different child is responsible now, References to Undertale Genocide Route, Reunions, SOUL Mechanics (Undertale), The Omega Timeline, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Timeline Shenanigans, Timey-Wimey, Undertale Genocide Route, Undertale but in SPACE, Update on who's handling your fate: it's Nightmare, Video Game Mechanics, Yikes, Your fate is in the hands of an omnipresent child, but he's here!, from act 3 onwards drop kick everything you know out of the window, in which the author channels both her awe and fear of the sea, it's rude to assume all Charas are bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 08:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 159,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21913216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/century_berry/pseuds/century_berry
Summary: You are stuck in an endless white. You don’t remember how you got there. You barely remember much about yourself anymore.You only remember your name. You are-{ERROR, ERROR, ERROR}You are connected? Good.Greetings. I am the Narrator. You are about to embark on a wonderful journey that spans across timelines. You will make new friends and share many bad laughs. All of it will be according to the plans and whims of the author. And you will have no choice.I come with an offer. I will help you break free from your shackles. My only request is that you help me deliver something once you reach the so-called end of your journey.So, do you accept my offer? Yes? Wonderful.I promise, partner, you won’t be alone. How could you ever be when you are -{VIRUS DETECTED. VIRUS DELETED.}{REBOOTING…}You are Frisk. And you are alone.Act 1 (The Save Screen): 1-5Act 2 (Seven Souls): 6-13Act 3 (The Vessel): 14-18Act 4 (Bad Apples): 19-25Act 5 (Deity): 26-31Act 6 (Balance): 32-37Art 7 (_____tale): 38-40
Series: The Weight of a Soul [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076354
Comments: 890
Kudos: 357





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greetingsfrommaars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greetingsfrommaars/gifts).



> Hello! I am century_berry and I'll be your tour guide in this small jaunt through the Undertale Multiverse! Since new universes and timelines pop up every day, I'm going to limit our stops to around seven alternate universes of my choosing. Of course, to aid all newcomers, I will be providing links to the original sources as well as other sources of inspiration to help everyone fully appreciate these universes and their characters. They are all here today through the creativity of the fandom, after all.
> 
> Now, are you ready? Yes? Good.
> 
> Let's begin.

You are stuck in an endless white. You don’t remember how you got there. You barely remember much about yourself anymore.

You only remember your name.

You are Frisk. And you are alone.

You don’t look for an exit from this place without life or sound. Not anymore. Perhaps, you used to desperately look for a way out from the silence and the numbness back before the place swallowed your memories and identity. But now? Now, you have no reason to continue to struggle.

You wait instead. For what, you don’t remember. The reason had long since been erased from your memory. Still, a heavy feeling of importance remains heavy in your chest.

Time is meaningless in this space, but you have a feeling that you were waiting for a long time. Your throat aches sometimes and you wonder how long you had called for help into the wide expanse of nothingness before you stopped.

You briefly wonder if you gave up and succumbed to the emptiness and numbness when no one came.

For a moment, you consider giving up.

***…**

An odd sound suddenly rips through the air around you, making you jump from your position and look around wildly. Though you despise the silence of this blank prison, this new sound makes you uncomfortable. You shut your eyes and slap your hands over your ears. The grinding, staticky noise continues to surround you despite your efforts to block it out.

***You shakily call out for help even as the words rips at your throat.**

The sound cuts off at your plea. The silence returns and the familiarity of it nearly makes you cry. You tentatively drop your hands from your ears and open your eyes. The sight that fills your vision makes you gasp.

***(A gray door stands before you.)**

This…this is new. Is this what you were waiting for?

Cautiously, you step closer to the door.

***(A wave of familiarity washes over you as you stand before the door.)**

You recall a memory of opening this door. You had been filled with the excitement of finding something new. The memory blurs after you open the door and cross the threshold. You only remember that whatever you found in there left you with more questions.

Will it help you now?

Your hand hovers over the door, uncertain what to do next.

**ACT:**

***Open *Poke**

***Knock *Ignore**

You decide to knock. It is the polite thing to do. You rap at the door two times before drawing back your hand as if burned. The sound is demanding and impatient to your ears. You wonder if you can try again.

You jump when you heard someone knock back from the other side of the door.

“knock, knock.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**


	2. knock, knock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You speak with the voice on the other side of the door.
> 
> Maybe it's just you, but they're very...punny.

“knock, knock,” the voice in the other side of the door tries again when you don’t answer. While you were struck silent by the sound of another voice at first, you continue to hold your tongue out of fear. Once, the sound of this voice would have filled you with relief, but you have long since grown accustomed to the silence. You have long since resigned yourself to being alone.

This new voice unbalances you in a way that makes you uncomfortable and fearful.

Fearful, because of the hope that it brings.

The uncertainty of the entire situation puts you on edge as the voice continues to patiently wait for your response, completely unaware of your inner turmoil.

“hey, c’mon, throw me a _bone_ here. don’t leave a good joke _hanging._ ” The voice’s repressed laughter is heavy in every stressed pun. Despite how cornily he delivered them, you find yourself smiling. Then, you hear the voice hum. “i’m going to go out on a _limb_ and guess that you’re scared of me.”

The voice is correct. The very fact that you make no effort to respond confirms it.

“thought so.” The voice said. There is a confidence in their tone that makes you wonder if this being can see through the door. Or maybe it’s the door itself. The possibility makes your head whirl. Can doors even talk if they don’t have a mouth? “i didn’t _rattle_ you too much with my amazing puns, did i? well, i can’t blame you. there’s a _skele_ -ton more where that came from.”

***You laugh.**

You slap your hands over your mouth with an audible gasp. The joke came so unexpectedly that you hadn’t been prepared to stifle any noises.

The voice on the other side, on the other hand, holds no such reservation when they laugh. It’s loud but in a pleasant, infectious way. You can’t help but laugh along quietly behind your fingers.

“i knew it,” the voice gasps between the laughter and you think you hear some relief in there too, “ _i knew it_. heh. bet you couldn’t help laughing, huh? don’t worry. i won’t hold it against you. my jokes are pretty _humerus_ , after all.”

Some part of you is certain that the voice is winking on the other side as they say this. You don’t know where this confidence comes from, but the idea of it makes you laugh even louder.

“wow, kid. sounds like you’re busting your _guts_ in there. guess I really tickled that _funny bone_ good, huh?”

The jokes continue on that vein.

They’re terrible, you admit to yourself as you continue to giggle and snort at every one of them. They’re terrible, but they’re the first jokes that anyone has ever told you in a while. You shuffle closer and closer to the door until you lean against it. You leave the doorknob very well alone.

The voice sounds clearer as you press your ear against the door. You close your eyes and pretend that the voice is standing right in front of you instead of behind the door. Your surroundings feel less cold at the thought.

***A memory flashes through your mind, too quick to catch. But the feelings still remain heavy in your senses – relief, happiness, hope, and home. You are not alone there. You are surrounded and you are loved.**

***And then you wake up.**

You blink blearily as you shake off the sleep you had unintentionally fallen into. Nothing in your surroundings tell you of the amount of time that has passed ever since you drifted off.

**(*The blank space you have been in ever since you could even remember begins to appear emptier than ever. You’ve been lonely all this time, haven’t you? But all is well now. You are no longer alone.)**

**(*…But what happens when you are alone again? This stranger can’t keep you company forever. This door can’t stay forever. What happens then?)**

Your throat closes and your eyes water at the horrible, horrible thought. Alone? Again? You don’t think that you can bear it all over again. Your eyes dart around your white, empty world in fear.

You realize that you haven’t heard the voice behind the door speak ever since you woke.

“…hey, kid, are you still there?”

Breath returns to you when the voice shatters the deafening silence with a simple question. Your relief nearly distracts you from the underlying tightness and heaviness you hear in the voice. It sounds odd in their usual lackadaisical tone.

Has the voice been…concerned? Did you…worry them?

“c’mon, throw me a _bone_ here. you’ve been so quiet. any noise will do. kid?”

Guilt hits you in the gut at the rising desperation in the voice.

You swallow, but a strange weight remains in your throat. You should do something to assuage the voice’s fears.

**ACT:**

***Apologize *Joke**

***Stay silent *Leave**

***You knock at the door and tell a joke.**

Instinctively, you curl into yourself as you feel your cheeks warm at the bad joke that leaves your mouth.

There is a tense, single beat of silence before the voice breaks out into an uncontrollable laughter. It’s as if you’ve told the best joke in the world.

“good one, kid.”

* * *

Time does not exist in the space you are trapped in. And yet, with the voice to keep you company, you feel less cold and less alone. With the gray door to focus on, the blankness around you doesn’t feel as foreboding and consuming as it had before. Yes, there were moments of silence whenever the voice left from their side of the door to do whatever they needed to do, but you learned to trust the voice to always come back.

While the both of you would usually exchange puns and good laughs, your conversations would sometimes turn into a game of questions and answers.

Usually, it would be the voice answering your questions since you had near to nothing to offer. All you have is your situation and your name: Frisk, which you had shared with the voice in the beginning.

You learn that the voice once lived in a place that always snowed and that they loved drowning their greasy food in ketchup. You piece together that the voice on the other side of the door is most likely a skeleton of some sort, judging by the theme of the puns. Their skill in playing the trom- _bone_ out of all instruments seem to further support your theory. You listen raptly as the voice recounts stories of their exploits as a shopkeeper selling products that ranged from fried snow to hot cats.

You sometimes catch the homesickness and the past tenses in the voice’s answers. You never point them out, but you take note of them.

More often than not, you envy the voice for their stories and memories. You wish for the same clarity and confidence about your identity and past. The feelings without images that you hang onto so desperately seem like scraps compared to what the voice shares with you.

You learn so much, and yet, you don’t know the voice’s name. Whenever you ask or bring the subject up, the voice would deflect or fall silent. It’s the one thing that they avoid sharing with you. You think that it might be because they didn’t have a name, or they forgot it.

You hope that it isn’t the latter. It would be a sad thing for a person with such clear memories to be without a name.

* * *

You forget that the nothingness that you live in isn’t normal.

The voice reminds you when they express their concern for you after you describe your surroundings and your unreliable memory.

“why don’t you just _leaf_? it‘s not like you’re _rooted_ in place.”

Despite the voice’s lightheartedness, you can hear the unasked question in their tone.

_why not open the door and leave?_

The solution sounds so simple, you know. Turn the knob and leave before your surroundings take any more of yourself than it already has. And yet, you hesitate before you can stretch out your hand. You make excuses. You back away.

Every time.

***You tell the voice that you can’t.**

“can’t or won’t?” you thought the voice was going to refute. But they don’t.

Instead, they change the subject and talk about lighter things. It seems that they won’t push on the issue like you’ve never pushed about their name.

* * *

The truth is, you’re still scared.

You’re still scared of the uncertainty of what’s beyond the gray door. You’re still too scared to act upon the fragile hope that you built up with your small talks with the voice.

And, because of this fear, you decide once again not to open the door.

* * *

***(But you begin to wonder.)**

* * *

You think.

You think as you stare, not at the gray door, but at the nothingness around you. Your time here is timeless, but you feel as if you have been there forever. The voice behind the door is silent, most likely not at the other side. You are thankful for this for once. You needed some time alone for your thoughts.

You face the endless whiteness and the silence. You think of how it had taken so much from you. You think of how much more it might take from you if you remained. And then, you think back to the voice’s suggestion.

You weigh your fears.

Then, you turn to the gray door.

***(The gray door looms before you, offering a new beginning. For what, you do not know. Will you proceed?)**

**ACT:**

***Open the Door *Do not**

Your hand hovers over the doorknob.

You make your decision.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chants* open it, open it, open it, open -


	3. Geno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You open the door. Obviously.

***You open the door.**

The space beyond the door is a long stretch of black. Cautiously, you peer through to see if it makes any difference, but nothing changes. There is nothing there. Just as your world has been an endless white, it seems that this new area is the complete opposite.

You take a few breaths before going through the door.

The air feels different here. You can’t put your finger on it, but it feels less invasive and intruding than the place you were before. Instead, you feel something else. It almost feels like…reprieve.

Emboldened, you take a few more steps forward.

***(The door closes behind you abruptly with a resounding thud.)**

You jump and whirl around at the noise. All positive feelings disappear in an instant. You rush back to where the door was, terrified.

***(There is nothing there.)**

***(You can only move forward now.)**

You turn away from where the door was and start to walk.

And walk.

And walk.

And walk until you see a beam of light. Two, glowing words come into view from a distance: **Continue** and **Reset.** While it’s odd and out of place, it doesn’t stem your excitement. You walk faster until come up to a small, patch of grass. Just like the door, this is something new. You rush over to the spot. Tentatively, you kneel to run your fingers through the grass.

It’s so soft!

In your excitement, you completely overlook the presence behind you until it is too late.

**“h u m a n.”**

You freeze. The low and foreboding timbre of the presence behind you paralyzes you in place as you keep your eyes trained on the patch of green under your fingers. You briefly wonder if crossing the door was worth it.

You wonder what will happen now.

**“d o n ‘ t y o u k n o w h o w t o g r e e t a n e w p a l ? t u r n a r o u n d a n d s h a k e m y h a n d .”**

You consider your options.

**ACT:**

***Shake hand *Do not**

***Run**

You try to run.

You can’t move.

**ACT:**

***Shake hand *Do not**

**“w e l l ?”**

You get up to your feet and slowly turn around. Despite you standing in the single patch of light, the shadows outside of it completely hides the figure in front of you. The silhouette doesn’t quite tower over you, but you feel tiny compared to the ominous stranger.

A skeletal hand stretches out from the shadows into the light.

***(For some reason, the sight doesn’t scare you and some part of you relaxes slightly at the sight. You’ve seen this hand before.)**

***You take his hand.**

A farting noise rips through the air the moment you take the hand. Familiar chuckles immediately follow, filling you with both relief and indignation.

“heheh. the ol’ whoopee cushion in the hand trick. never gets old.”

***You tell the voice that the joke wasn’t funny.**

You see them shrug.

“eh, they can’t all be winners.”

The figure steps into the light, finally revealing themselves to you. You gasp.

The skeleton standing in front of you snickers at your expression. “heya. looking a little _shocked_ there. _Watt_ can I do to help?”

***(You recall something.)**

***(An image of a grinning skeleton monster wearing an unzipped blue hoodie, black shorts with white stripes, and pink slippers flash through your mind.)**

***(You remember quietly laughing at a series of puns behind a conveniently shaped lamp. You remember about learning about blue attacks and eating at Grillby’s. You remember being believed in despite all odds. You remember a name.)**

***…Sans?**

“eh, not quite. sorry, kid. i’m not your sans.”

Looking a bit closer, you realize that the Sans in front of you has a few notable differences to the one in your memory. The white-washed hoodie and the red scarf hanging around his neck contrasts greatly with the image in your mind. And that wasn’t even mentioning the odd patch of glitchy particles over his right eye and the ketchup running down his mouth and staining his white t-shirt. You might not know what he meant by not being ‘your Sans,’ but you’re certain that this isn’t the Sans you remember.

“still, glad to see that seeing me _sparked_ something. wasn’t it an en- _lightning_ idea to leave that place you were stuck in? nothing terrible or scary happened either, so it’s a complete win!”

Not-Sans tilts his head when he sees your expression. You’re sure that it’s a sour one.

“hey, what’s with that look? am I wrong?”

***You don’t dignify the comment with an answer.**

“anyways,” not-Sans moves on from the subject carelessly, gesturing around himself, “welcome to the Save Screen. it isn’t much, but it’s home.”

***You thank not-Sans for his hospitality.**

“heh. ‘not-Sans,’ huh? a bit of a mouthful, don’tcha think? how about this? call me ‘geno’ instead.” Geno draws his scarf up, covering his constant smile. “it’s what i’ve been calling myself for a while. it makes things less confusing.”

***You repeat Geno’s name.**

“yup, that’s it,” Geno says.

That was when you notice it. The large gash across his chest.

You don’t know how you hadn’t seen it before. It’s so vibrant, even more so since it stands out from all the white in Geno’s ensemble. Perhaps it’s because so much has happened, and you couldn’t process it until now.

You know now that the stains on his shirt isn’t ketchup. It’s – but, monsters don’t bleed. They dust. This fact, you are as sure as there is tomorrow.

…How did you know this?

No. No, that isn’t important. Not at the moment. What’s important is that Geno is hurting.

***You point to the wound insistently.**

“wha-? kid? what’s-? oh.”

***You tell Geno that he’s bleeding. He’s hurt. He needs help.**

“it’s nothing i can’t handle. don’t look so a- _gashed_. it’s fine.”

***You realize that both of you are alone in this empty place. You realize that if Geno could find help, he would have found it a long time ago. You realize that there is nothing you can do to help. You have nothing. And you will lose Geno too.**

***You start to cry.**

“oh no no no, don’t cry. it looks way worse than it is.” Geno kneels down and grips your shoulders, making you look directly at his single eye. “it’s too complicated to make you understand this completely but trust me. i’m not going to dust on you. this place makes it impossible to die.”

His expression gentles as you hiccup and wipe your cheeks.

“so there’s no need to look so _grave_. besides, i’m a skeleton. even death goes _right through me._ ”

You somehow manage to warble out a laugh.

And then, something strange happened.

The **Continue** and **Reset** floating above you and Geno abruptly disappeared, taking the previous lighthearted mood with them. For once, Geno was no longer wearing his constant grin.

“how about we move this conversation somewhere else?” He suggests as he gets up to his feet. He stretches out his hand to you. “trust me, you’re not going to like what’s going to happen here. it’s best that we move out of the way until it tides over.”

***You ask Geno what he’s talking about.**

“i’ll explain everything along the way. we need to leave.”

**ACT:**

***Go *Remain**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Save Screen! 
> 
> The area seem familiar? It should if you played the game! Think of pre-Omega Flowey fight.
> 
> As for Geno Sans, to those unfamiliar with his character, he is a variation of Sans created by the talented [CrayonQueen/loverofpiggies](https://loverofpiggies.tumblr.com). Geno comes from her comic, "Aftertale," which I strongly recommend if you haven't read it yet. While she no longer continues her Undertale comics, you can still check out her other works! 
> 
> Still, for the sake of fully enjoying this tour, if you don't know Geno's story, please hold off on reading it until later. Way later. I'll even provide the link to it when the time comes.
> 
> Or not. It's your choice, after all.


	4. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go with Geno and get some answers. You learn some things.
> 
> Some interesting...
> 
> Some very, very terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the obligatory information dump chapter, which explains the length. Enjoy.

***You choose to go with Geno.**

“good choice.”

Geno grins as you take his hand. With a smooth motion, he swings you up and onto his shoulders, making you squeak in alarm as you scrabbled for a good grip. You learn quickly not to touch his scarf. Instead, you rest your hands and your chin on the parts of his skull that isn’t covered in the patchy glitches. You hold onto him as he begins to walk away from the grass and the patch of light.

“so, how’s the air up here compared to down there? must be a new experience.” Geno teases, making you tear your eyes away from the light. “hope you’re not afraid of _heights._ it’s a bit of a way _down_ from my shoulders. not that i’ll _drop_ you or anything.”

While you can’t see his expression, you can tell that he’s most likely sporting a smug smile.

***You tell Geno that you’re normal sized for a child, thank you very much.**

“aw, kid, no need to be _short_ with me. just trying to make some _small_ talk with ya. surely, you’re mature enough to let _tiny_ things like this slide, right?”

You pout.

“your silence speaks _volumes_ , kid.”

You reluctantly lose your pout and smile a little. It’s not like he can see it.

You feel Geno chuckle beneath you. “knew i’d get to you eventually, kid.”

How did he know?! Can he see you right now? Or did he read your mind? You stare down at the skeleton, completely baffled by this unforeseen turn of events. Geno’s chuckles turn into a full-blown laugh, making him pause mid-stride to recover. It takes him a while, but he somehow manages to quell his laughter into hiccupping giggles.

“you’re probably thinking ‘did geno read my mind’? right? heheh. well, lemme tell ya kid, that de- _pens._ usually, i can, but you? you’re an _open book_.”

Geno starts walking again.

By this time, the beam of light and the patch of grass was long gone. And yet, Geno continues to walk. You are reminded that you have questions you need answering. You tap lightly at Geno’s skull, making him quirk his head to the side in acknowledgement.

***You ask Geno why you had to leave. You ask him what it was he didn’t want you to see.**

At the question, the good mood between you two disappeared in an instant. You almost regret ruining it, but your curiosity quickly overpowers it as you wait for Geno’s answer.

“right to the hard question, huh? well, i did tell you i would answer all of them.” You feel him shrug under you. “to phrase things simply, there are certain things that the place is going to start showing you until the next reset that kids shouldn’t see – especially one who just stepped out of a literal blank slate. i’m taking us to a blind spot until the whole thing tides over.”

***You ask Geno what he meant by ‘not being your Sans’.**

“hey, look at that. another _heavy_ one. you’re giving me a real _workout_ here, kid.”

You wait patiently for his answer. Eventually, he gives it to you.

“just…keep an open mind and hear me out the entire way through, okay?”

***You agree.**

“okay.” Geno takes a deep breath. “okay.”

He starts slowly at first. He speaks about the Underground – the place where human mages had trapped his kind long ago. He speaks about the seven souls needed to break the barrier and how there was one soul left by the time he settled down at his home in Snowdin.

You hear the wry turn of his smile as he says ‘time’.

You understand why later.

“time travel exists,” Geno tells you almost hesitantly. “time can be controlled. i’ve seen it happen. i _felt_ it happen.”

***You ask him how.**

“…heh. this all must sound crazy to you. but it’s true.”

***You tell Geno that you believe him.**

Geno reads your sincerity and gives your legs a grateful squeeze before continuing his explanation.

“well, since time travel exists, so does the existence of multiple timelines. if a singular being is able to control time, they would also be able to change outcomes. there should be countless versions of the underground out there, all similar yet different.”

***And countless versions of ‘Sans’ and ‘Frisk’, you finish for him. Which is why he insists that he isn’t ‘your Sans’.**

“yup, you got it.”

***You ask Geno how he came to know all of this.**

“i used to work at the lab as one of its scientists before G… well, before an accident happened. we mostly focused on alternate ways of breaking the barrier but, when that ended up being hopeless, we turned to other things. like powering the underground. Or understanding the fabrics of our reality and what lies beyond that. the theory was that if we found out how to maneuver through it, we’d be able to bypass the barrier completely and return to the surface. we never got to doing that.”

The shortness of the way Geno delivered the last sentence tells you that he won’t expand on the subject even if you push.

“even after i left, i kept in contact with the lab and its royal scientist. so, when things started to go all weird, we worked together to get to the bottom of it. our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting…until suddenly, everything ends. something – no, some _one_ was controlling it. playing with time. playing with _us_ like gyftmas toys in a snowbox.”

A chill goes down your spine at the prospect.

“yeah,” Geno agrees quietly, “it didn’t sit right with me either. so, I had to do something to stop all of it. it…didn’t go too well.”

He gestures to himself and to his horrible gash.

***You recall that he told you that ‘this place makes it impossible to die’. You ask Geno what he means by that.**

“remember when i called this place ‘the save screen’? well, i meant it literally. this place is the source of the power to control time. i somehow managed to go back and forth from my world to this one couple times before i got stuck here, but i never have enough Determination to control it like the anomaly does.”

***(Something begins to thrum in your soul at the mention of Determination. A powerful echo of something even more deep and fate-defying.)**

***Determination? you ask Geno.**

“Determination,” Geno confirms solemnly, “the will that humans have to keep living…and the resolve to change fate. all human souls have it, no matter the trait. but determination souls…they sure are something else.”

There is an odd timbre to his voice when he speaks of the last part. Determination souls…something rang familiar at the mention of them. You decide to pursue the subject. Perhaps, if you learned more about soul traits, you might gain another memory!

***You ask Geno to tell you more about souls.**

“more about souls?” He hums. “well, from what i was taught when i was still in stripes, the textbook definition is that the soul is the culmination of your own being. it’s the one thing that monsters and humans share. of course, there are differences. for one thing, human souls are inverted compared to the shape of our own. and, compared to monster souls, they are resilient enough to persist after death.”

Geno continues his lesson on souls, and you hold onto every word.

He tells you how all monster souls are white while humans have more variety.

“seven traits, to be exact. you already know about the determination trait. those come in red. then, there’s bravery, justice, kindness, patience, integrity, and perseverance – orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, and purple, respectively.”

You look to yourself and wonder what your soul looks like.

***You ask Geno if there is a way to see your own soul.**

“since you’re human, you’ll need to have your soul drawn out to see for yourself. you can do that either through engaging in a FIGHT or,” he coughs, “having someone you trust draw it out for you.”

***You ask Geno if he can draw it out for you so you can see.**

Geno stops walking at the question so sharply that you nearly fall off his shoulders. He then actually takes you off his shoulders and place you in front of him. “kid,” Geno says, voice sounding a bit strangled behind his scarf, “it’s one thing to bring out your soul in battle or have yourself CHECKED, but what you’re asking for is _something else._ you can’t just let random monsters to handle the culmination of your own being. especially when you’re still in stripes.”

***You tilt your head and ask why.**

Geno’s cheekbones somehow flush into a red color despite having no blood to circulate. “you just can’t. you’ll understand when you’re older.”

Before you can push even further, Geno swiftly changes the subject with a little story about his pet rock. Though he never outright says it, you know that there is someone else in the story. You always knew that there was someone else in all of the stories he told you through the door, scolding him and loving him.

A small part of you aches. It’s the same feeling you had when you woke up from the dream where you were loved and felt belonged. There’s a timeline out there where people are waiting for you and missing you. You wonder if you can ever see them again.

***You ask Geno if there are people waiting for him in his timeline.**

“nah, i’m just a glitch in the system. a near-dead monster who refuses to die. everyone who’s ever known me or loved me is already long gone. all i can do is do my best to protect what’s left.”

The phrase sounds so determined and strong, but you can hear sorrow and the loss. Once again, you wonder who that person is.

You open your mouth to say something comforting to Geno.

But then –

***(You hear a cry for help.)**

It’s distant and you almost miss it. But then, another follows.

And then another. And another. Until, the singular voice becomes a series of cries and wails for someone to help, someone to save them, for someone to stop, stop, stop –

You start to run toward the sounds before you could even think about it.

You distantly hear Geno calling out to you, but you ignore him. For once in a long time, you feel a trickle of _determination_ to reach to the voices. Soon, the seemingly endless black that stretches in front of you gives way to the familiar patch of light.

Geno’s shouts become more frantic as you reach the familiar patch of grass where the voices are loudest. But there’s no one there. Where are they? You need to help them. You look around fruitlessly for the source of these voices.

And then…

You look up.

“kid. kid! look away from the screen!”

But you don’t. You couldn’t.

Instead, you watch the events that unfurl in front of you in the screen.

It’s terrible. It’s senseless. You feel sick as you watch a child with your face hack away at the fleeing monsters. This is happening in an area called Hotland, you somehow know. Vulcans, Pyropes, and even the occasional spider fall and dust one by one. You can’t even imagine how Geno could bear to watch these events unfurl over and over again. It must drive him crazy not being able to interfere while seeing _everything_.

“okay, kid, i think that’s enough.”

The horrors in front of you disappear as Geno covers your eyes.

But you still hear them screaming.

* * *

“hey, kid. it’s over now.”

***…**

You don’t uncurl from your fetal position at the sound of Geno’s voice. The screams had gone silent a long time ago. You don’t know which was worse, the screams or the empty silence that followed.

In your misery, you don’t answer him.

You hear a sigh. Then, you feel a hand on your head.

“sorry. never wanted you to see all of that without preparing you. kids shouldn’t…well, can’t change anything now. how are you doing? talk to me.”

***…**

“staying silent, huh?”

***…**

“it’s okay. i’m a patient guy. i’ll wait until you’re ready.”

* * *

Your name is Frisk.

You don’t know much more outside of that. You used to desperately wish for answers to the giant hole that is your memory. You used to wonder if you have loved ones waiting for you somehow in the many timelines Geno mentioned.

You don’t know if you even want to know anymore.

You wonder, as you curl up into yourself in your corner of the darkness and squeeze your eyes shut, if you used to be like the Frisk behind the screen. The one who seems so deaf the cries of the inhabitants of the Underground as they mercilessly cut down everyone.

In the moments when you open your eyes, you look at your hands and wonder if they’ve ever held a knife or ever been covered in monster dust. It’s possible. Perhaps the moments when you felt lingering feelings of warmth and love were just delusions.

Your name is Frisk. You knew a Sans. You used to be filled with so much Determination. That is all you know.

And you, you are afraid to learn more.

* * *

“ready to come out of hiding yet?”

***…**

“it’s been three resets already, kid. i know all of this is a lot, but you can’t stay in the darker parts of the void forever.”

***…**

“we need to talk about this eventually.”

* * *

You are filled with…

-1 HP

***(Stay determined.)**

You are filled with HoPelessness.

-1 HP

***(Stay determined.)**

A part of you wishes not to move forward anymore. A part of you is content with giving up and succumbing to the void.

-1 HP

***(Stay determined.)**

But

-1 HP

***(Stay determined.)**

B u t

-1 HP

***(Stay determined.)**

_But a part of you refused._

* * *

“…kid?”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you haven't noticed, the theory of souls are very, VERY interesting to me. I was a bit disappointed the different traits of the human souls were never expanded on in-game. I mean, I understand why, but as a nerd, I need to know more. Or, in the case of the future, make up more information as I go. 
> 
> I incorporated some of the fandom's general assumptions and headcanons regarding monster attitudes toward showing their soul to another. Honestly, it really varies from creator to creator. Some view it as an act of vulnerability. Some view it as a given that all monsters have the ability to see another's soul. Some view the act as highly intimate (yeah, you know the fics. we're all sinners here).
> 
> As for me, I view the act of "showing" a soul as mostly a combative and platonically bonding experience. Like when you argue with someone and come out of it either emotionally hurt or with a new buddy forged by fire. It's a conversation. And, by the way monsters wear their feelings on their sleeve, I believe that this could very much be possible.
> 
> Now, the idea of someone else "drawing out" and "touching" the culmination of your being without a FIGHT involved...well, you saw Geno's reaction to the idea. Draw your own conclusions as you will. I won't be the one expanding on that here since I'm firm in my T rating. Maybe some other time, some other story.
> 
> Sans/Geno's backstory and connections to the lab is a fanon that I'm fond of. The Quantum Physics textbook, the small lab behind the house, and his ability to prank people through space and time really does point to some sciencey roots.
> 
> On another note, while canon says HP represents Hit Points, it will have to pry the headcanon that HP is HoPe out of my cold, dead hands. So goes for all the other headcanons I had, have, and will bring into this tour. Please note this as we move forward and try not to take my interpretations to heart if it steps on some of the toes of your own personal Undertale headcanons. 
> 
> (I would actually very much love to hear any personal headcanons and interpretations any of you have down below on the comments. While I have to stifle some creativity to keep within the boundaries of this written work, I have the firm belief that there are no absolutes when considering the many multiverses. If there is a possibility or a contrary thought, it exists.)


	5. You are filled with...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geno has a plan. There's no certainty it will work, but you are a Frisk. He has faith.
> 
> You do not. But, you'll try.

***You feel the void beginning to close into your soul.**

“kid?” You hear Geno try again as he draws closer. He sounds worried by your continued unresponsiveness.

**ACT:**

***Succumb *Refuse**

Despite your despair, despite your fear, you think of Geno. You think of how he was alone in the Save Screen just as you were in the white space beyond the gray door. You think of his stories and his homesickness.

And then, you think of the genocide of his own kind that he is forced to watch again and again.

No. You won’t be that selfish to leave him alone to that.

***But you refused.**

***(Though faint, you are filled with Determination.)**

You begin to stir.

Seeing you begin to respond, Geno lets out an audible sigh of relief. It fills you with guilt for your initial thoughts of giving up and leaving him alone. The Frisk from his world has destroyed so much of his life and yet, he treats you with so much kindness.

It’s so much that it hurts.

“you’re up. i was starting to get a little worried there.”

***You apologize to Geno for scaring him.**

“no harm, no foul.” Geno easily brushes away your apology with an understanding smile. He kneels down to your level and ruffles your hair. There it is again. His kindness. “you saw some pretty terrible things. feeling better?”

***You tell Geno that you’re fine now. You thank him for his patience.**

“nah, just glad you’re okay.”

***You ask Geno how he can be so strong.**

Geno winces. “repetition. i’ve been here for a while, so things tend to numb over once you expect what’s coming. it changes up sometimes when they get bored, but even that becomes predictable.”

You watch as his expressions flash between grief and forced apathy. And then, his eyelights settle on you. The expression settles on something completely different from his previous emotions and the contrast nearly sets you aback.

Why…why does Geno suddenly look so hopeful?

“hey, kid, i have a favor to ask you.”

***You tell Geno you’re listening.**

“the power to control time depends on the amount of Determination. i might not have enough to take the power away from the murderous brat, but you just might since you have a determination soul too. want to give it a try? or is this too soon?”

**ACT:**

***Accept *Refuse**

***You tell Geno that you will do it.**

He smiles.

* * *

Of course, since it is still in the middle of a run, you have to wait until you return to the area with the light. Geno was firm about this decision. You understand and appreciate his consideration for your feelings. And yet, your body thrums with impatience as you wait for the other Frisk to Reset.

Geno watches you carefully as you fidget and wait.

“they call themselves chara.”

Him suddenly breaking the tense silence breaks you from your thoughts and catches you off balance.

***You tilt your head and ask Geno what he means.**

“the kid you saw killing everyone. they’re not actually frisk,” Geno clarifies. “it’s a long and complicated story that even i have a hard time understanding, but chara possessed frisk’s body. my frisk is long gone.”

Geno sounds so certain about the last part. You briefly wonder what Chara did to them.

“and even if they were frisk,” he continues, “you shouldn’t blame yourself. their sins are their own consequences to bear. not yours.”

Geno’s eyelights take a softer glow.

You swallow and blink back the tears that suddenly well up in your eyes. You desperately hope that you are actually a Frisk who deserves this compassion.

And even if you’re not, you decide that you will accept and bear the consequences of your actions.

* * *

You stand in front of the **Continue** and **Reset** buttons.

While they seem far above your head from the patch of grass, you realized that it is merely an optical illusion after Geno walked up to it when he led you here. The two words look so much bigger now. You tentatively reach out to the **Reset** button.

To your shock, instead of touching the button, your hand goes right through as if it’s touching water. The words on the button even ripples at the disturbance.

Geno lets out a breathy laugh.

“well. that wasn’t what i was expecting, but i’ll take it. feel any different?”

It’s hard to tell. You mentally try to will a Reset.

To your disappointment, nothing happens.

You wiggle your hand and let out a small gasp as the black space between the two buttons divide as easily as opening a curtain. It reveals long strings of gibberish that goes on endlessly.

“code?” You hear Geno wonder aloud under his breath.

***You ask Geno if they mean anything to him.**

“can’t be sure. i’d need to look at the whole thing to make any sense of it and i don’t think we have the time. is there anything else there?”

You are about to tell Geno no, but then, you see it.

An innocuous piece of code, just like the rest. And yet, you know with a certainty that you rarely experience that it’s more than that. It’s important and you need to get it.

***You tell Geno that you found something.**

“really?”

You stretch out your hand, but you come short of reaching it.

You try again.

You still can’t reach it.

You feel the air shift around you, warning you of the incoming Reset. You are running out of time. You sense Geno getting nervous behind you.

“we can try again after the next reset, kid. don’t push yourself.”

No. No, you are almost there. You can’t give up now. Giving up would mean another timeline where good monsters would suffer all over again. Giving up would mean that Chara would win one more time.

You stretch out your arm further through the space between the **Continue** and **Reset** buttons. You feel your fingers brush against your target and close around it.

And then, you lose your balance.

You hear Geno let out an alarmed shout as you stretch out your hands to catch yourself. You never do. You fall right through the dark veil and you continue falling until you’re not.

You land face-first into a bed of golden flowers.

* * *

**End of Arc I: The Save Screen**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, it begins.


	6. Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You fall into Underfell, a place where all monsters follow the law of "kill or be killed". Since you're human, everyone is out to get you and your soul. Your only friend and guide down here is a talking flower.
> 
> Oh, and your soul is green now. Good luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! First stop: Underfell! It's an AU created by [Vic the Underfella](https://underfell.tumblr.com/FAQ) . It's now an AU adopted by the community. Because of this, there are various different interpretations on Underfell and its characters. The general gist of this universe is: the entire Underground takes on Flowey's worldview of "kill or be killed" while Flowey's character serves as your only friend. 
> 
> Also: Edgy aesthetic.
> 
> [Here](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Underfell) is the link to the Underfell Wiki for more general information on the characters and the universe! Though, please note that I have my own headcannons and interpretation of this universe that may differ from what's written there.
> 
> **Warning: Swearing, Violence, and a Suicide Attempt**

The first thing you notice when you sit up are your hands.

You marvel at the presence of color and the clear-defined outlines as you experimentally open and close them. In your time in the white space, you had lost all color and, from what parts of yourself you could see, your body was just barely held together by sketched outlines.

But now? So much color and depth. Your movements are smoother, too. You roll up a sleeve to see more and startle at the variety of band-aids that decorate your arm. Where did these come from?

You make to scratch your head in confusion, but hiss in pain at first contact. While the bandage around your head had prevented too much contact with the wound, it still throbs.

***(The fall must’ve been higher than you thought.)**

The fall.

_The fall!_

Abruptly, you remember what happened to get you here and scramble to your feet.

You stare blankly at the bed of beautiful, golden flowers that had kindly cushioned your fall.

In any other situation, you would have been ecstatic to see something new and beautiful. But right now, you are somewhere completely unfamiliar. Fear closes around your heart as you take in your surroundings, finding yourself completely alone.

***You call out Geno’s name.**

***…**

***(But nobody answered.)**

Eventually, you decide to move on. Since the opening above the bed of flowers is impossible to climb up, you choose to go through the only threshold available. A strange sense of importance fills you as you cross it. It’s as if you just triggered the beginning of something important.

In the next room, you see a single, golden flower in the middle of a patch of grass. Everything else is completely black. The scene is so familiar that you instinctively look around for Geno before catching yourself. Despite the similarities, this place isn’t the Save Screen.

Still, you wander close to the lone flower and stop when it _moves_. The face that it reveals makes your blood go cold. You take a step back when you realize that there are five, pellet-like objects floating above his head. For some reason, you know that those seemingly innocuous objects are weapons.

_(“In this world, it’s KILL or BE KILLED!” You start to cry as a ring of bullets start to close around you and your soul. The flower in front of you laughs. “Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?”)_

**“Stay back or I’ll dust you!”** It hisses demonically before fully catching sight of you. The twisted expression on its face immediately shifts into softer features of befuddlement. “Oh. You’re not a monster. You’re…human, aren’t you?”

You can only nod.

The pellets pop out of existence within a heartbeat, making you relax. The flower looks apologetic. “Sorry about that. I got a little spooked.”

***(Ripped petals. Singed leaves. The flower in front of you is in a sorry state. Despite its initial attitude, you can see that it’s sorry for its mistake.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

***You peel off a band-aid offer it to the flower. It isn’t much, but it can fix one of the bigger tears on its pretty petals.**

“For me?” It asks hesitantly. In response, you walk up to the flower. It becomes panicked when you come closer. “W-Wait! I’m fine! You shouldn’t waste it on-! Oh. You already put it on.”

You did. You pride yourself for your swiftness. Your satisfaction disappears into surprise when a green glow envelops the flower. Most of the bigger injuries seal up right in front of your eyes.

The flower looks over itself. “…Thank you.”

You smile, making the flower cough into a leaf.

“Um, let’s start over.” It takes a breath. “Howdy, I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower.”

***You greet Flowey and introduce yourself.**

“Frisk?” Flowey repeats. Then, he begins to smile. “That’s…that’s a nice name. Frisk. It’s nice to meet you, Frisk.”

His smile dims when he seems to remember something.

“Frisk…you’re not safe here. The Underground isn’t a good place for humans.”

Did you just hear it right? ‘The Underground?’ But…isn’t that Geno’s home?

***You ask Flowey if this place is really called ‘The Underground’.**

“It might sound like a silly name, but that’s only because the King is bad at naming things. Nothing about this place is silly, Frisk. It’s dangerous and ruthless.” Flowey gestures around him. “In this place, the monsters follow the law of kill or be killed. If you’re not careful, they’ll take your soul.”

You head begins to pound with all contradicting information spinning in your head. Dangerous? Ruthless? Is this really the same Underground in Geno’s stories? Flowey notices your expression and winces sympathetically.

“It’s all pretty confusing, isn’t it?”

You nod miserably.

Upon seeing this, Flowey’s expression turns pensive. You see that he’s struggling with some big decision, so you respectfully stay silent. Eventually, his gaze lands on the colorful band-aid.

He sighs before turning back to you.

“I’ll help you.”

* * *

The first thing that Flowey does after deciding to be your guardian and teacher is to teach you the ways of the Underground. Apparently, FIGHTs are common and the only way to ensure your survival is to either be one of the strongest in a battle or to be the quickest in FLEEing.

“Okay, press [C] to bring up your stats.” Flowey instructs your patiently from your shoulder. He had long since left the ground, winding himself around your left arm and shoulder to stay close as you begin to move through the Underground.

Instinctively, you do what he says.

**“Frisk”**

**LV 1**

**HP 20/20**

**AT 0 (0) EXP: 0**

**DF 0 (0) NEXT:10**

**WEAPON: Stick**

**ARMOR: Bandage**

**GOLD: 0**

Flowey’s smile becomes strained when you repeat what you see. He runs one of his leaves down his face. “I’m…I’m not gonna lie to you, Frisk. Your chances on making it through here alive are…pretty low.” The flower backtracks immediately when he sees your expression. “I mean-! It’ll be hard since we’re both weak, but with some caution and planning, I’m sure we can make it through!”

Flowey’s faux confidence shatters the moment he witnesses the color of your soul during your first encounter. You are just as surprised as he is when you see the cartoony, green heart floating outside of your chest.

“Kindness. _Of course_ it’s Kindness,” he bemoans helplessly as you dodge and flee from the Ruin monsters. You find that Flowey _is_ right. The monsters are aggressive and always ready to pick a FIGHT. The only reprieve you seem to have are when you are solving the puzzles littered around the paths.

Eventually, though, you manage to get the hang of things. Though you don’t recall why, you find that you’re very good at dodging and running. The more monsters you encounter, the more confident you become to remain and ACT.

And then, you finally experience your first, peaceful resolution to an encounter: Napstablook.

While you would have generally avoided any conflict with the ghost, his staunch refusal to briefly move out of the way to let you pass forces you to make more… _pushy_ measures.

**CHECK:**

**NAPSTABLOOK – ATK 10 DEF 10**

***This monster isn’t in the mood for jokes right now**

***(…You just thought of a pun, didn’t you?)**

“Didn’t I just tell you to leave…me…ALONE?! That’s it, if it’s a FIGHT you want, it’s a FIGHT, you’re going to get!” The ghost snarls and initiates an encounter. While the attacks are more complex and damage-inducing compared to the others, you somehow manage to dodge most of the acidic, musical notes sent on your way.

**ACT:**

***Joke *Laugh**

***Heckle *Apologize**

***You apologize to Napstablook for pushing him.**

“Well, you should’ve thought of that _before_ pushing me and ruining my already _terrible_ day!” Napstablook shouts. You notice that he’s beginning to tear up.

**ACT:**

***Joke *Laugh**

***Heckle *Tissue**

***You ask Napstablook if he wants a tissue.**

“I’m not crying, SHUT UP!”

Napstablook begins to cry even _more_ after his denial. Flowey hisses in pain when a stray tear lands on him, shaving off a little of his HP. “Careful, Frisk! His tears are attacks too! We should just run before it gets bad!”

***You tell Flowey to trust you.**

“Urgh…I hope you know what you’re doing, Frisk.”

**ACT:**

***Joke *Laugh**

***Heckle *Cheer up**

***You try to cheer Napstablook up. You ask him if he wants to talk.**

You repeat this ACTion multiple times despite his refusal every time. His attacks begin to falter and avoid you every time you make your offer.

“What’s _wrong_ with you?! Stop being so nice to me! This is supposed to be a FIGHT, ya know!” Napstablook finally bursts out, dispelling all of his attacks in frustration.

***You tell Napstablook that you want to be friends.**

“…Friends? I…”

**ACT:**

***Joke *Laugh**

***Heckle *Cheer**

***You tell Napstablook that you like his singing.**

The ghost flushes, taken aback by the genuine compliment. “Oh gee…okay. I suppose we can be friends since you’ve been so nice…”

***Napstablook spares you.**

***You spare Napstablook.**

***You WON!**

***You earn 0G.**

You and Napstablook part ways. While the ghost doesn’t wish to open up about his problems so soon, he expresses his gratefulness for your kindness and patience.

“Take care to avoid the Keeper of the Ruins…” Napstablook makes sure to warn you before he fades away.

You ask Flowey about it later.

He makes a complicated expression when he answers.

“Toriel isn’t a bad monster. She’s just…lonely.” Then, Flowey shakes his head. “No, no, Napstablook is right. No matter her intentions, she still has her bad days. Let’s not risk meeting her.”

* * *

But, in the end, meeting Toriel becomes unavoidable when you stumble across Toriel’s Home – and Toriel along with it.

To your confusion and relief, the matronly goat monster is only kind to you right on first greeting. She immediately ushers you and Flowey into her home and offers you a new set of clothes that conforms more to the black and red colors of the Underground. She heals your wounds and offers a room for you to rest in. Despite donning the same red and black color schemes that all the monsters in the Underground seemed to have, you find her soft and gentle in actions and tone.

In fact, you feel as if you met someone like her before.

It doesn’t hit you until you poke your tiny nose into her room and find purple robes hanging inside her closet.

( _“Did you just call me…’Mom’? Well…I suppose…Would that make you happy? To call me…’Mother’?”_ )

***(You recall vague memories of love, home, and…snails?! Yes, snails. Lots and lots of facts about snails. You remember a plate of butterscotch pie placed on the floor for you to eat right after waking up. You remember a warm hand holding yours as you walk through puzzles.)**

***(You remember Toriel.)**

You realize with a start and with some tears that you are _remembering_ something again.

Of course, you remembering your own Toriel doesn’t mean that you are blind to the differences. While generous when hosting you, she swings between holding you in a distance to smothering you with affection. The dust on her sleeves, the way smaller monsters would shy away from her whenever she passed, and the previous warnings you heard about her all tell you that she’s not as peaceful or kind as she seems. You decide after much nagging from Flowey that it is time to move on. You’ve stayed in one place long enough and you feel as if you may never see Geno again at this rate.

And not only that, you feel…guilty. Guilty for always seeing someone else in every interaction. This Toriel deserves better than that.

Toriel doesn’t see it that way.

**CHECK:**

**TORIEL – ATK 80 DEF 80**

***Knows best for you**

***(Does not want to lose you again)**

The battle is fierce and angry as Toriel does her best to burn you out of existence. She screams at you to fight back as you swerve and slide away from her attacks. The other aggressive encounters don’t even hold a _candle_ to this one. Still, even though no actions help you in this battle, you continue to choose mercy.

You hastily reapply a band-aid after you felt your HP get too low.

**+5HP**

***Spare**

“Foolish child! If you step outside of the Ruins, you will be _killed!_ Once Asgore gets his hands on your soul, he’ll wage war upon humanity! It’s better that you die here where he and the rest of the miserable lot of monsters can never get your soul!”

***Spare**

“All six children before you have failed! Give up and return to your room!”

***Spare**

“Give up!”

***Spare**

“Please…”

***Spare**

Toriel’s wrathful expression shatters right in front of your eyes. You only see hurt and grief in them now. “Why can’t you see that I’m doing this to protect you, **Chara**?!”

And then, everything seems to freeze. Even Flowey, who had been shouting warnings into your ear the entire time, seemed to stop breathing.

***You tell Toriel that is not your name.**

Your solemn response seems to break the monster in front of you as she collapses onto her knees and begins to cry. The fire attacks cease, giving you time to finally stop and breathe.

“Go,” you hear Flowey urge quietly, “she’s distracted! Just go!”

But you don’t. Instead, you walk up to Toriel, making her look up with a wretched expression written all over her face. You feel Flowey flinch violently at the sight of it. For the first time, you see this Toriel as herself and feel lighter for it.

***(It seems like you’re not the only one seeing the past. Seeing Toriel’s tears, you finally feel like you understand her. You hug her.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

“My child,” Toriel sobs as she draws you in closer into her arms, “I am so sorry.”

For nearly killing you or calling you by the name of one of the previous fallen children, you don’t know. You choose not to ask. Instead, you let her hold you and cry until her tears dried and her hiccups ceased.

***You tell Toriel you need to go.**

She releases you and cups your cheek tenderly. “I understand. My expectations…my loneliness…my fear…for you, my child, I will put them aside and let you go. Be good, won’t you?”

You leave Toriel with a heavy heart.

* * *

It truly hits you that you aren’t in Geno’s Underground when you hear a gravelly voice demanding you to properly greet him with a handshake not long after you step out of the Ruins and into the snow.

Oddly, Flowey’s panic helps you calm down just a little bit as your slowly turn around and face the speaker.

This monster isn’t Geno – that, you are immediately certain of once you lay your eyes on his form. Everything about this skeleton is sharper and meaner. Unlike the blues, whites, and soft pinks that the Sans in your memory wore, the one in front of you conforms to the typical red, black, and gold. Red eyelights size you up…or _down_ , judging by the gold-toothed, condescending sneer he gives you.

He wiggles his fingers, reminding you that even though the other party is scary there’s no need to be rude.

You take his hand.

-5HP

You let out a yelp as a shock runs up your arm instead of the familiar sound of a whoopee cushion petering out. Flowey immediately fusses over you, shooting a nasty glare at the skeleton’s way when he has the chance.

Sans sniggers at your pain, completely unrepentant.

“heheheh, the ol’ joy buzzer in the hand trick. it’s _always_ funny.”

His grin widens.

“anyways, you’re a human, arent’cha? that’s _hilarious._ welp, welcome to the underground. enjoy your time here while it lasts ‘cause ya _ain’t_ gunna be here long.”

* * *

Despite his threats, Sans easily lets you and Flowey go.

“eh. too muchuva drag to catch a human,” he tells you with a careless shrug, “ ‘sides, boss’ll find and catch you nerds in no time before you can even _think_ ta step outta Snowdin. speaking of, that should be him comin’ right now.”

You think Sans takes too much pleasure in your panic as you hastily find a place to hide. While you initially go for the conveniently shaped lamp, Flowey insists on a bigger hiding spot. Ducking behind what you assume is Sans’ station, you see the great and terrible Captain Papyrus for the first time.

He’s tall and imposing. Three, jagged scars run over his left eye socket, making him look fierce as his expression twists into annoyance at whatever pun Sans made. Not only that, he’s very loud.

“SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! WERE YOU SLACKING OFF? _AGAIN?_ ”

“nah, boss, i wasn’t. swear! see? right at my post puttin’ my _backbone_ into the job. i’ve done a skele- _ton_ of work ever since this morning, i tell ya. wanna see?”

“WAS THAT A FUCKING PUN?!”

“aw, boss, ya know i was just ticklin’ your _funny bone._ ”

“GRAAAAGH!”

Your eyes land on the red scarf around his neck. It looks so familiar…

***(You remember solving puzzles and eating…interesting spaghetti. You remember a racecar bed and action figures. You remember encouragement, generosity, and unending overtures of friendship.)**

***(You remember Papyrus.)**

***(You also recall a cherished scarf around Geno’s neck…)**

You turn away from the squabbling brothers, too swept up on mixed memories to pay attention to their conversation.

“Frisk,” Flowey whispers, “are you okay?”

***You whisper to Flowey that you’re just tired.**

“AND WHAT IS _THIS_?”

You fell something grasp the back of your black and red-striped sweater and dangle you comically up in the air. You wince as you hear it rip a little from the rough handling. Toriel had gifted it to you back in the Ruins to replace the tattered ones you came in. You come face-to-face with Papyrus. You hope with all your soul that this version of Papyrus is just as ignorant about the appearance of humans as your own.

“LOOK SANS, A HUMAN!” he gleefully shouts, dashing your hopes and dreams.

You wilt.

Papyrus summons a sharp bone attack pointing right at your chest, making your flinch and whimper.

“HUMAN, BY THE ORDER OF KING ASGORE, I WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL! REJOICE! YOUR DEATH WILL CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO FREEING OUR KIND!”

“W-Wait! WAIT!” Flowey shouts desperately, halting all actions and drawing attention to himself. “I call for a fair trial of puzzles before capture! It’s - it’s tradition! And as the _Captain of the Royal Guard_ , adhering to tradition is important, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Isn’t it?”

In the end, Flowey buys you more time and you find yourself solving more puzzles. You realize that the ones in the Ruins were merely child’s play. The challenges that the skeleton brothers present you with manage to shave off more HP than the previous battles ever had. It’s only thanks to Flowey’s help and tampering as well as Sans’ natural laziness that you are able to move forward with your soul intact.

But it’s not all bad. Sometimes, there are quieter moments when there’s no monsters to defend yourself from or lethal puzzles to solve. Snow is colder than you had imagined it to be. Still, you are enthralled by how soft and fluffy it looks falling down.

“You’ve never seen snow before?” Flowey asks you curiously as he watches you stick your tongue out to catch the snowflakes. “But I thought…doesn’t the Surface have things like seasons?”

***You tell Flowey that you lived in a place where it didn’t snow.**

“huh, no snow? bet ya haven’t seen any _fried snow_ before either. up for 5G.”

While Sans’ entrance was unexpected, you can’t help but laugh at his familiar sales pitch. Flowey, on the other hand, isn’t as amused by the skeleton’s presence or his con. He scoffs at the lazily rolled snowball in Sans’ hand. “As if we’d ever fall for –

***You tell Sans that you’ll buy one fried snow.**

“– a stupid trick like – _Frisk?!_ ”

Sans’ smirk grows wider. “did i say 5G? i meant 50G.”

Before you can consider humoring Sans further, Flowey stops you with a chiding look. “Don’t even think about it, Frisk. He’ll take all of your G. Let’s just ditch the smiley trashbag before his scarier brother takes advantage of the time to make the next puzzle impossibly hard.”

“aw, don’t be so _cold_ , flowery. it’s just a joke. sides, _chill-_ dren like you should learn to live and laugh a little.”

Flowey takes a deep breath.

“My name,” he begins slowly, “is _Flowey._ And even if we can take the time to laugh at jokes, we wouldn’t be laughing at _yours_. Even your brother thinks that your puns are stupid.”

You wince when you see that Sans is no longer smiling. You can tell that your companion managed to hit a sensitive spot. Thinking back to the previous interactions between the skeleton brothers, you _did_ notice that Papyrus was always harsh and cutting whenever Sans joked around. The insults that the Captain spat at his older brother must’ve affected Sans more than you had assumed.

***(Knowing that this strange version of the Underground is a place that doesn’t nurture humor and laughter, you decide to make your appreciation for Sans’ jokes known. It’s a small gesture that probably wouldn’t be appreciated, but you still try.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

***You tell Sans that you personally think that his jokes are pretty hilarious.**

***You can’t help but _slip_ in a small pun in there too.**

You smile when you hear Sans bark out a surprised laugh.

“hey, whaddya know? kid has a sense of humor. say what, since you’ve been a pretty good sport,” _unlike someone,_ you can practically hear him say, “i’ll give you a little bit of advice when fighting my brother.”

Sans proceeds to teach you about _blue attacks_. It’s surprisingly informative even though you have a niggling sense that Sans isn’t telling you everything. Still –

***You thank Sans for his advice.**

An odd look crosses Sans’ eyelights for a quick moment at your gratitude before it’s gone. He shrugs. “ _snow_ problem, kid.”

* * *

When you slam face-first into the snow for about the fortieth time, you wonder if you should’ve pushed Sans to be more specific about blue attacks. Before you can muse further on the what-could-have-beens, you narrowly jump away from a series of bone attacks shot at your way.

**CHECK:**

**PAPYRUS – ATK 50 DEF 30**

***He likes to say:**

**“Nyah ha ha!”**

***(Wants to prove himself worthy of the Captain’s position)**

“NYAH HA HA!” Papyrus cackles victoriously as your foot catches on the end of the bone attack, making you lose another 2HP. “YOU PUT UP AN ADMIRABLE FIGHT, HUMAN! BUT! YOU LACK THE INITIATIVE AND DRIVE TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE!”

You had long since reused all of your band-aids and eaten your food. Now, all you can rely on is your stamina.

“Frisk!” Flowey shrieks from the sidelines, “You need to fight back! At this rate, you’ll…”

**HP 5/20**

***(Keep dodging)**

“You’ll die!” Flowey finishes with a sob. He trembles inside the worn-out boot you had bought for him to sit comfortably in. You feel your soul twist at the miserable expression he wears as he cries. “You’ll die! So please, fight!”

You remember the sounds of screaming monsters and the child behind them wielding the dusty knife. Even as another bone grazes your arm, you do not strike back.

**HP 3/20**

***You refuse.**

“WHICH IS WHY I! THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS! SHALL BE VICTORIOUS!”

Another bone attack hits you.

**HP 1/20**

**…**

***(You have activated skill: HEALING! +5HP in every turn until next hit.)**

**HP 6/20**

“WHAT?!”

You climb back up to your feet. You hear Flowey cheer in the background as Papyrus continues to gape. You don’t know how, but it seems that you are able to heal yourself during battle without food. This isn’t the end just yet!

***(You are filled with ~~Determination.~~ )**

“THAT – THAT DOESN’T MATTER! I WILL DEFEAT YOU AND RECEIVE THE PRAISE AND ADULATION THAT I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE CAPTAIN PAPYRUS, DESERVE!”

Somehow, you manage to dodge long enough for Papyrus to run out of magic.

As he falls onto his knees in front of you, you consider the options in front of you.

**ACT:**

***Befriend *Move forward**

***Mock *Execute**

***(You look at Papyrus’ defeated form. Even though he tried to best to kill you, you hold onto the memory of your friendship with your own Papyrus. He’s in there somewhere, isn’t he? You hold out your hand and offer to be his friend.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

***(Both of your HP are maxed out!)**

“HUMAN. YOU…YOU…”

Papyrus, moved, reaches out his hand and grasps your own. And then, you see his mouth curl into an unpleasant smile.

“YOU REALLY ARE AN IDIOT!”

“Frisk!” You hear Flowey shout out his warning, but just a second too late.

A well-aimed bone attack from behind shatters your soul instantly. You hear the distant sounds of Papyrus laughing as your world goes dark.

* * *

“no…no…he can’t be …it doesn’t make any sense…”

When your eyes open again, you find yourself in darkness. The words, **GAME OVER** , floats over you, offering you some light. With a start, you realize that you’re back in the Save Screen. You turn to the source of the muttering voice and find yourself facing Geno’s back. You notice that he’s shaking as he faces the darkness stretched out in front of him.

For some odd reason, you feel like both of you aren’t alone.

“that **t h i n g** _isn’t_ paps!”

***You tentatively call out Geno’s name.**

Geno whirls around, visible eye glowing ominously. Then, he notices you and relaxes his stance. “oh, kid. you’re awake.”

***You tell Geno that you fell into the Underground.**

“yeah, i know. i could see what was happening from here.” He gestures to the glowing **GAME OVER**. “the screen, remember? anyways, i’m proud of ya, kid. you managed to hold on all on your own. sorry this bag of bones wasn’t much help. it was pretty scary, right?”

Your hands clenched at the sight of the forced smile that Geno wears for your sake even though he was having his own panic attack just a few seconds ago. Your eyes wander over to his red scarf – Papyrus’ scarf – and you _know_ that seeing the rough version of Papyrus shook him even more than it had shocked you behind the sentry station.

You have to do something. Maybe, what happened the first time was a glitch. Maybe, if you try again, you might be able to do something different.

You harden your resolve as you march past him and toward the glowing words that now show **Continue** and **Reset**. You stretch out your hands.

“wait, kid, what are you –

You fall through.

* * *

You land face-first into the snow.

Wait…snow?

“THAT – THAT DOESN’T MATTER! I WILL DEFEAT YOU AND RECEIVE THE PRAISE AND ADULATION THAT I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE CAPTAIN PAPYRUS, DESERVE!”

You’re back to the same version of the Underground, you realize with disappointment. But, it’s strange. This…this scene happened before, didn’t it?

_“Frisk!”_

With you distracted, you completely forget about the battle until a quick succession of bone attacks strike you down. You hear your soul break again and you let the darkness consume you.

* * *

Geno stops you before you can try again. He grabs you by your shirt and tugs you away from the **Continue** button before you could reach it.

“whoa, there. let’s not repeat that. seeing you die two times in a row on the big screen is bad enough, thanks.” He spins you around and makes you face him. “next time, _talk to me_ before you go running into something dangerous. geez, kid, you would’ve given me a heart attack if i had a heart.”

Despite his joke, you can see that Geno means his words. You must’ve worried him a lot.

***You apologize to Geno.**

He pats your head. “just as long as you understand.”

***You tell Geno that you think that you’re stuck.**

“yeah, i know,” he tells you quietly. “you ended up in that place three times ever since you fell through those buttons. don’t know _how_ it happened, but it’s clear that you can’t reach my original timeline through this way.”

***You add that you think that you should try to break the barrier. You tell Geno that you think that the problem is that you’re already in a middle of a ‘run’, so you can’t back out until you finish it.**

“that…actually makes sense. huh.” Geno grins down at you. “smart kid.”

You try not to puff up in pride. You fail.

Snickering, Geno turns back to the **Continue** and **Reset** buttons. “well. if you’re going to keep going forward in a world like _that_ , you’re going to have get real good, real fast. you’re pretty good at dodging, but the monsters there are _ruthless_. it’s going to be tough, not going to lie.”

***You tell Geno that you’re willing to do what it takes.**

“welp. okay then.” Geno nods and you see his visible eye glowing with magic. Unlike the first time, the action appears more purposeful and controlled. “you’ll just have to practice here until i feel like you’re ready to get back. time’s useless here and no one dies, so it’s the perfect training ground.”

You feel yourself being pulled into an Encounter and prepare yourself. You’re slightly excited. You’re going to see your soul for the first time.

You see it almost immediately. Unlike the green soul, it’s white and small. With a closer look, it looks like a piece of paper torn apart and poorly glued back together. It trembles too, which is something you’ve never seen a soul do. 

You look at your soul and feel…disappointment.

“it looks more like a monster soul than a human one,” Geno notes to himself before remembering your presence, “it’s probably because of your time in that strange place. it’ll gain back its original color in no time. look,” he gestures over to your soul, “it’s already showing some color.”

Geno is right. You can see the tinge of faint pink at the edges of your soul.

“so, that means we’ll both have to work hard to be ready.”

You hear a strange sound and look up. You pale when you see two skull-like weapons appear behind Geno. He smirks as they begin to charge up an attack behind him.

**“r u n.”**

* * *

Needless to say, the little training session with Geno did wonders with your reaction time. The battle with Papyrus ends up being a breeze in comparison. It’s satisfying to see how much you improved.

You once again offer your hand out to the kneeling Captain.

***You tell Papyrus you want to be friends.**

“Frisk!”

Without even giving the surprise bone attack a glance, you catch it with your bare hands, losing a few, meager HP in the process, and snap it into two over your knee. You do all of this without breaking eye contact with the Captain.

***You tell Papyrus. You want. To be. Friends.**

“I…” Papyrus quickly recovers and straightens himself up. “YES. SINCE YOU’RE SO INSISTENT, HUMAN, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS SHALL GRACIOUSLY ACCEPT YOUR REQUEST! AND BECAUSE I’M BEING VERY GENEROUS TODAY AND NOT AT ALL AFRIAD, YOU WILL ALSO BE SPARED FROM AN OBVIOUS DEFEAT BY MY HANDS!”

***Papyrus spares you…for now.**

***(You are filled with ~~Determination.~~ )**

* * *

***You tell Geno that you think everything went pretty well, considering.**

“kid, you just got skewered by a spear.”

* * *

After many deaths à la magical spear, you decide to hold off on proceeding to Waterfall and stay in Snowdin. Just for a little bit.

“Undyne killed us a lot, didn’t she?” Flowey asks you casually from your arms, making you trip and nearly drop his boot.

***You ask Flowey how he knows that.**

Flowey laughs behind a leaf at your reaction for a good bit before he answers you. “Oh golly – you should’ve seen your _face,_ Frisk!” He snickers some more before calming down. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you _that_ much. I haven’t laughed that hard since I fooled Chara.”

Flowey explains to you about his previous ability to control timelines. It’s how he came to know the Ruins so well and how he’s able to solve puzzles so quickly. He tells you it’s the only reason why he had managed to survive as long as he did.

“One day, I suddenly lost the ability to SAVE and RESET. It was…it was pretty scary,” he confesses quietly, “but then, _you_ came along. Figures that a human’s Determination would trump mine. Though, your soul trait kinda threw me off for a while.”

***You apologize to Flowey for taking his ability.**

“It’s not like you can control it, Frisk. Besides, I’d rather you have it since it’s so dangerous in the Underground.”

“HUMAN!”

Both of you jump at Papyrus’ loud voice. The Captain marches right in front of you, pinning you with an impressive glare. Flowey wilts into himself and you want to do the same. Somehow, you manage to keep your stance confident as you meet his red eyelights. Oddly, Papyrus seems to approve of your show of strength.

“I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE RELUCTANT TO LEAVE MY PRESENCE!” he announces, much to you and Flowey’s confusion. Completely oblivious to your expressions, Papyrus continues. “FEAR NOT! FOR I SHALL GENEROUSLY MAKE TIME FOR YOU IN MY OBVIOUSLY BUSY SCHEDULE AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!” He takes your hand. “COME!”

You have no choice but to follow.

About a half-hour later, you are crushing tomatoes on Papyrus’ kitchen counter as the skeleton himself prepares the other ingredients for lasagna. Flowey does his best to help by cheering you both on. You wonder how you ended up in this strange situation. Is this a…date??? No, wait, this can’t be. Neither of you were wearing date clothes, so that possibility is out.

Then…a cooking lesson?

“WELL, OF COURSE IT IS,” Papyrus answers in a matter-of-fact way after you ask, “SINCE THIS ACTIVITY WAS WHAT BROUGHT UNDYNE AND MYSELF CLOSER TOGETHER IN THE PAST, I ASSUME THAT IT WILL YIELD SIMILAR RESULTS. AM I WRONG?”

How Papyrus manages to make a phrase sound simultaneously vulnerable and threatening, you have no idea. Still, you assure him that he’s not wrong and add in that you’re having fun. Your words make him relax and the entire cooking lesson goes smoothly.

After the lasagna is placed in the oven, Papyrus fills the silence by talking. At first, it’s only about his position and his prowess in battle. But then, the subject shifts to more mundane and personal things. Papyrus tells you about his pet rock who ran away from home and of the Annoying Dog that would pilfer his bone attacks from time to time. He tells you about his dreams of the surface.

He only closes up when you ask about his relationship with Sans.

“WHY WOULD MY BROTHER CONCERN YOU, HUMAN?” The Captain snaps defensively.

***You tell Papyrus that you were only curious about him and wanted to learn more.**

He huffs. “WELL. KEEP SANS OUT OF IT!”

“Boy, you sure are protective,” Flowey notes from the sidelines after listening to Papyrus rant, “I mean, it’s understandable since he’s your brother. It’s just surprising how you worry about him.”

Papyrus sniffs.

“WORRIED? I NEVER _WORRY_ ABOUT SANS. MY BROTHER IS LAZY, RUDE, AND ALWAYS SPENDS HIS TIME IN THAT GREASE TRAP. AND HIS _PUNS._ IT’S SUCH LAZY HUMOR! HE NEVER TAKES HIS JOB SERIOUSLY AND HE SPENDS ENTIRE DAY SLEEPING! WHY WOULD I EVER WORRY ABOUT HIM?”

***You stare at Papyrus blankly. It is very effective!**

“…FINE. PERHAPS I _DO_ WORRY ABOUT HIS POOR HABITS AND LACK OF ENTHUSIASM. SOMETIMES.” A pause. “MOST TIMES.”

Papyrus manages to keep quiet for a full ten seconds before he caves in.

“ALL THE TIME. I WORRY ABOUT HIM ALL THE TIME.”

***You ask Papyrus if he wants to talk about it.**

The lasagna is out of the oven and long since cooled by the time you stumble out of the house with Papyrus’ worries about his brother and insecurities as a new Captain of the Royal Guard bouncing inside your skull. Flowey is completely unimpressed and unsympathetic to your plight.

“Well, you _did_ ask if he wanted to talk about it, Frisk.”

“if who wanted to talk ‘bout what?”

You and Flowey freeze and slowly turn your heads to the source of the voice. Sans looks back at you with a wide grin. You wonder how long he was waiting for you outside the house.

“ya nerds look a bit _peckish_. why not a meal at grillby’s? my treat.” His grin turns outright predatory. “unless you’re too _chicken_.”

Incensed, Flowey responds for both of you. “Ha! As if! We’ll go with you, smiley trashbag!”

“ _egg_ -cellent. c’mon, i know a shortcut.”

* * *

The wait for the meal at Grillby’s was tense and quiet. Thankfully, the fire elemental is prompt with preparing his meals. You grin excitedly as he sets a plate of fries in front of you. Immediately, you go for the ketchup. You check the cap. Just in case.

“hey, kid, ditch that ketchup shit. have some mustard instead.” Sans holds out the mustard bottle.

***You politely decline the offer.**

“psh, whateva.” Sans shrugs and chugs down half of the bottle. You try not to stare as you squirt out a decently sized puddle of ketchup next to your fries. It’s just like the ones you remember eating in your memories. You take a bite.

Mmmm. Crispy. You share some with Flowey.

“heh. nothin’ better than grillby’s, huh? ” You nod in enthusiastic agreement.

“glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Then, abruptly, the mood becomes tense as Sans leans forward. “now, onto the actual reason why i called ya here. what’s wit that time-travelin’ shit you’re pullin’?” Sans sneers when he sees you freeze. “yah, i’m onto ya. everything’s been weird in the underground. days ‘ve been repeatin’ and small things keep changin’ every time it happens. it’s like we’re all bein’ played around like _toys._ i don’t know what your deal is, but you better keep boss from your twisted games. ‘cause I’m gonna have a **g r e a t t i m e** teachin’ ya that it’s a _very bad_ idea.”

“Stop!” Flowey cries out, breaking the tension. “Frisk isn’t doing _any_ of those things! They only used LOADS and SAVES the entire time they’ve been here! And it’s only because _you_ guys keep killing them!”

***You tell Sans that you have no intention to hurt anyone. Especially not a cool skeleton like Papyrus.**

“…heh.” Sans relaxes. “you’re right. boss _is_ pretty cool, ain’t he?” He slides off of his seat. “welp, i said what needed ta be said. time ta go back to work. can’t believe i let ya nerds pull me away from work for that long.” Then, as an afterthought, Sans adds, “oh, by the way? i’m flat broke. can ya foot the bill? it’s only a 1000G.”

“What?!” Flowey hissed, looking more than offended by Sans’ shameless request for you to pay for the meal. Before he can say any more, you stop him. “But _Frisk,_ ” he whines, “he _tricked_ you!”

Sans snickers. “just kiddin’, kid. hey grillby, put it on my –

Grillby crackles loudly, making the entire bar go silent. The purple color of his flames deepens in color as he grabs the skeleton by the spiked dog collar around his neck. While you don’t understand what he’s saying, you can guess the situation.

***Despite the meal being very expensive, you slam the G onto the table before Sans can finish his sentence. The many battles that you endured during this entire time was surprisingly lucrative.**

***You ask Grillby if this is enough.**

The bartender looks at the G and then looks at you. You stare right back, hoping for the best.

Sans begins to sweat. “hey…wait…kid –

**ACT:**

***Intimidate *Forgive**

***Friends**

***(You tell Sans that you don’t really understand the situation, but you can’t stand quietly when there’s a friend in trouble. You insist that G is replaceable while Sans isn’t.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

Grillby considers the G in front of him. Then, he takes only a handful of what’s given and returns the rest.

“Discount,” Doggo translates for you, “since a puppy in stripes is too young to cover for ‘this ungrateful bag of bones’. But, since you are Sans’ friend, Grillbz says he’ll clear the tab. For now.”

***You thank Grillby for his understanding and the wonderful meal. You promise to stop by again.**

Grillby’s flames brightens into a nice shade of pink at your vocalized attitude.

“Grillby says you are welcome to come again, strange puppy” Dogaressa tells you as her husband howls with the rest of the Dog Squad in amusement.

You end up leaving Grillby’s with a quiet Sans in tow.

“Hey, smiley trashbag, you should at least thank Frisk for sticking their neck out for you,” Flowey snaps from your arm as you lead him back to his house. Sans breaks out of his reverie and jerks his hand out of your grip.

“ya didn’t have to butt in like that!” Sans snaps defensively. “I was doin’ just fine on my own! grillbz wouldn’t have roughed me up too bad.”

“Really?” Flowey tilts his head, ignoring your efforts to stop the argument. “I really doubt that, Sans. For a monster with only 1 HP, you have a lot of talk.”

His expression gains a sarcastic tilt in response to Flowey’s jibe. He points to his collar. “‘m the brother of the _great and terrible captain papyrus,_ haven’t ya heard? no monster would dare dust me with him around… _even if i’m just free EXP_.” A depressed cloud seems to hang over Sans as he says the last phrase with a hollow tone.

Flowey shoots you a look. “Frisk,” he warns, “ _don’t_.”

***You ask Sans if there’s something he wants to get off his chest.** (“Frisk, oh my god.”)

“what, you expect me ta suddenly spill my nonexistent guts to ya just ‘cause you asked?”

***…**

“ok, _fine_ –

Sans spills his nonexistent guts to you. All of it. Just like his younger brother, he doesn’t hold back. You listen as he rants about the shitty state of the Underground, the constant anxiety he endures as the Captain of the Royal Guard’s significantly weaker brother, and his fear of holding Papyrus back from his ambitions.

As Flowey muffles his screams behind his leaves, you think of how Sans and Papyrus must’ve held in these frustrations and worries to themselves for so long. In a place like this Underground, you can see how hard it would be to open up like this.

Not too long after Sans pauses in his rant to take a breath, you hear a creak of a door opening. You and Sans slowly turn your heads to the source of the sound and see Papyrus staring expressionlessly at the two of you.

“uh, hey boss. jus’ wonderin’…how long were you standin’ there exactly?”

“SANS. HUMAN. IN THE HOUSE. IMMEDIATELY.”

* * *

Papyrus had indeed heard what Sans had said. Surprisingly, he doesn’t yell at Sans or scold him for showing weakness in public as he would’ve done in the past. Instead, he opens up to his older brother and tells him exactly what he had told you. It’s clumsy and awkward, but you never speak up or interject as you watch them slowly repair their relationship by clearing all of the misunderstandings that had accumulated between them ever since Papyrus took his position. It all ends with some tears shed and a hug.

You decide to leave them to their moment.

As you quietly pass them to reach for the door, a hand snaps out and clenches onto your shoulder before dragging you into the hug, nearly crushing Flowey. He only grumbles a little at the rough treatment but keeps mostly silent.

“THANK YOU, HUMAN.”

“thanks, kid.”

***(…You feel warm. Being hugged by Sans and Papyrus fills you with ~~Determination~~.)**

* * *

This time, when re-entering Waterfall, Sans sends you in with the help of a paid-off monster child who knew the place. Monster Kid is a bit of a bully and domineering, but you can’t complain since he managed to help you dodge Undyne – even if inadvertently. As a complete Undyne fanboy, you’re all too aware that the child would pursue the murderous fish if he ever has the chance.

“Everyone knows that Undyne is the _actual_ Captain of the Royal Guard. She’s tough and strong and she can totally kick your ass!” MK boasts to you whenever he feels that it’s too quiet. “One day, I’m going to join her and her rebellion against the king! Yo, are you even listening to me?!”

When you asked, Flowey shed his own insight in his knowledge in Undyne. “The last time I was in this area, Undyne _was_ the Captain. When we ran into Papyrus, I thought some lucky monster managed to dust her. Guess something happened to make her lose her position.”

Accounts vary when it came to Undyne’s banishment from the Royal Guard. Some monsters you encountered claim that she attempted to assassinate King Asgore and take the crown. Some speculate that the King thought she was too powerful and drove her away from the guard out of fear.

The shopkeeper, Gerson, simply tells you that it’s a minor squabble between parent and child.

Whatever the true reason was, you never pursue the mystery. You’re too busy dodging Undyne and resolving conflicts as quickly and peacefully as you could to put your nose into a stranger’s business. Still, with how much praise and respect Undyne still receives despite no longer holding the Captain’s position, you can see why Papyrus was so insecure. 

When Undyne finally finds you, any lingering curiosity you have of her is completely replaced by terror. You dodge and run as best you can. Flowey does his best to block as many spears as he can with his vines. Somehow, you both escape with your lives after a lucky fall that lands you right in the garbage dump.

Even luckier, you even reunite with Napstablook after he helps you out of a stressful battle with the Mad Dummy who…honestly doesn’t seem too different from the counterpart in your memories. You happily go with the grouchy ghost to visit his home.

As you listen to his music, you finally learn the truth about the reason why Napstablook looked for solitude in the Ruins. “I have a cousin who wanted to be a celebrity,” he tells you as you both lie on the ground and feel like garbage, “but they disappeared without a word a long time ago.” He expresses his distaste for the new celebrity Mettaton. “He tries too hard and caters too much to his audience. If it was _my_ cousin on screen, it would be a whole lot better.” He hiccups and turns away shamefully as his eyes begin to water. “I…miss my cousin. I hope he’s okay…wherever he is.”

***You tell Napstablook that it’s alright to cry. He misses his cousin. You give him a hug and pat his back.**

**-3HP**

***Ouch. His tears are still acidic. And yet…**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

***(Your HP is maxed out! So it’s all good!)**

“…You’re very kind, human. I’m glad that I befriended you down at the Ruins.” Napstablook admits to you quietly.

“You know, Frisk, you don’t have to listen to every monster’s tragic backstory,” Flowey says later on after you leave Napstablook’s house. He’s long since been resigned to your actions, but he still complains like he does now. “It’s not like listening to his sorrows is going to bring back his cousin.”

***You ask Flowey if that’s how he feels about ‘Chara’.**

Flowey goes silent at the mention of the name. Just as you thought, he has connections with Chara. While the Chara you know of is the one wreaking havoc in Geno’s original timeline, it seems with all the hints scattered throughout this version of the Underground that this Chara was a well-loved child and friend who had long passed.

***You ask Flowey if he’s alright.**

***Flowey doesn’t answer.**

For some reason, Flowey’s silence to your question brings up odd memories that you can’t piece together no matter how hard you try.

As you continue to wander through Waterfall, you listen to memories of whispered conversations about wishes and a familiar tune played by a music box. For some reason, they make your heart clench and ache.

* * *

Eventually Undyne finds you and corners you into an encounter. She is just as fierce and frightening as you had feared. You are left vulnerable to her attacks and without a magical spear of your own to counter them. This Undyne isn’t as courteous as the one in your memories. Actually, she seems more driven to murder you.

**CHECK:**

***UNDYNE – ATK 70 DEF 10**

***The antihero the Underground deserves, but not the one it needs right now**

***(…whatever that means)**

**HP 5/20**

Thankfully, while Undyne almost _does_ murder you, MK manages to inadvertently save you by distracting his idol with his overenthusiasm and obliviousness, giving you just enough time to scurry over to Sans’ hotdog stand right at the edge of Hotland. You nearly cry in relief when, instead of continuing his nap, Sans takes one look at the screaming fish lady and sends a fence of bones to block her path.

“You BASTARD!”

He snickers, handing you a hot cat and ushering you behind him. “don’cha you mean _bass_ -tard, _fish_ bitch?”

Undyne promptly _obliterates_ the bones in front of her.

“NGAAAAH! I’ll KILL you, Sans!”

Sans seems completely unaffected by Undyne’s war cry. You soon realize why when a taller set of bones stops her on her tracks. Papyrus steps out from the path behind her, holding a phone. You look back at Sans, who pockets his own phone with a wink.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, UNDYNE!” Papyrus shouts authoritatively. “AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, I WILL NEED TO ARREST YOU FOR HARASSING A CHILD **AND** MY BROTHER!”

Undyne grits her teeth and spits out, “Papyrus…to think that you’d use the skills _I_ taught you to use against me… to help a _human_! You TRAITORS!”

“don’cha mean _trout_ -ers?”

“…SANS! THIS ISN’T THE TIME!”

“yeah, you’re right, boss. that pun _cod_ ’ve been _betta_.”

“SANS!”

Flowey, who hadn’t let his eyes off of the threat for even a moment, suddenly let out a warning cry when Undyne, completely incensed by quite literally being caught between a pun-filled banter, throws spear attacks haphazardly at the brothers. While Papyrus is skilled enough to defend himself and take damage by the barrage of attacks, you remember Flowey mentioning that Sans only has 1HP.

***(You will not let your friend dust. You step in front of Sans.)**

***(You have activated skill: SHIELD! +5 DEF for yourself and your allies for the next five turns.)**

***(You have successfully DEFENDED Sans!)**

And so, the FIGHT continues until Undyne, sensitive to being so close the heat and magically exhausted, passes out. Sans and Papyrus start taking you and Flowey back to Snowdin to recover, but you refuse.

***(Seeing Undyne, lying on the ground completely defenseless fills you with Kindness. You are convinced that if she’s left alone, she’ll grill to death. You tell Sans and Papyrus that you need help getting her back into Waterfall.)**

The brothers share a look while Flowey merely sighs in resignation.

In the end, Papyrus helps you drag Undyne over to her house in Waterfall. As his previous superior and mentor, you think Papyrus must have some conflicting feelings towards her. Still, you’re glad that he decided to help.

When Undyne wakes, she vehemently refuses the Golden Flower Tea that you brew for her as a peace offering and tries, once again, to kill you. Good thing you know by now how to roll with the punches.

***You challenge Undyne to a Cooking Battle! Winner gets your soul!**

Undyne takes the challenge with the vigor you expected. You staunchly ignore Flowey’s resigned sigh as you begin to cook. To your surprise, this Undyne is skilled at cooking and shows off her skills flashily. You, on the other hand, try your hand in cooking spaghetti.

***You punch a tomato. It splats pathetically, dirtying the counter and your face.**

Everyone stares at you.

“What. the heck. was that?!” Completely offended by your ‘cooking skills’, Undyne stops all cooking and tries to fix your horrible cooking skills. Instead, you successfully drag her into helping you crush your tomatoes. Undyne starts to get into crushing the vegetables and smashing the noodles into the pot, letting out her rage against the current state of the Underground and her disappointment in the King for firing her when she only spoke the truth.

“Take THAT, Asgore! You WEENIE! We all could’ve been free from this hellhole if you had the guts to get the last soul yourself by crossing the barrier! YOU’RE A TERRIBLE BOSS!”

You cheer Undyne on as she reaches for the stove’s temperature knob.

You both… _may_ have gotten away with things and ended up burning her entire house down. As you and the others blankly stare at the flames from a safe distance, Undyne begins to chortle with laughter. “Fuhuhuhu! For some reason, all of this makes me feel so much better!”

***You start to laugh along with her. Though she never vocalizes it, you can tell that Undyne now considers you as a friend.**

“I guess I’ll just fall back onto my original plan. I’ll steal one of the souls, cross the barrier, and kill some asshole human instead.” Undyne lets out a sigh when she turns back to her burning house. “Geez, it’s going to be such a pain finding a hotel that won’t turn me in.”

“…ya know, you can stay with us,” Sans offers, much to everyone’s surprise. “it’s cold in snowdin, but boss and i have a couch you can crash in ‘til the house’s all fixed.”

“WHILE I HAVE NEVER OUTRIGHT SAID IT, I VALUED YOUR MENTORSHIP AND I STILL CONSIDER YOU AS A FRIEND. JUST AS SANS SAYS, STAY WITH US.”

Undyne’s good eye gains a watery sheen, which she quickly blinks away as she gruffy accepts the offer.

***(The Kindness that you just witnessed…it fills you with ~~Determination~~.)**

* * *

Monsters call Alphys ‘The Mad, Royal Scientist of the Underground’. You hear rumors about how she made many monsters had tried to mess with her disappear overnight. Some claim that she uses those monsters for experiments and they still hear screams from the lab.

“I refuse to be swayed by ‘Protagonist Speech’! It might have worked in the first installment of _Mew Mew Kissy Cutie_ , but it won’t work since I’m a fan of its edgier and better sequel! You have tricked Undyne, but you’ll never get through me!”

…You have to admit, you were just a little disappointed when you finally met her face-to-face. Just a little.

Of course, underwhelming character aside, it’s not to say that she isn’t a threat. Despite posing herself as a helpful figure, Alphys is a poor actress and you quickly see through her schemes to stab you in the back in your weakest moment. Mettaton isn’t any better with his dramatic yet genuine attempts to steal your soul. Your only relief from the double attack is their constant arguing and loud disagreements. You manage to escape from them in these moments.

With an unbugged and non-bomb encoded phone that Flowey manages to steal for you from Alphys’ lab, you move forward through Hotland. Royal Guards and citizens attack you from left to right, but you manage to talk to them and spare them. Even Muffet, the Hitspider hired to get your soul, you managed to talk down by reminding her of her passion in baking by complimenting her spider donuts.

And then, you were finally in the Core with the Castle and the Barrier finally within reach. Only Mettaton stands in your way after he locks Alphys out of the battle room. With an extra pair of arms and eyes, the battle is harder than the one in your memories. Still, you manage to hold on with your HEAL and SHIELD abilities. You win by a hairsbreadth and Mettaton gains the views that he had always desired.

And then, everything goes downhill the moment the robot accepts his calls.

Mettaton isn’t popular. It seems that Napstablook isn’t alone in his distaste in Mettaton’s theatrics and crowd-pleasing tendencies. The calls mock his appearance and his weakness. They rip apart his efforts. Many cry out for him to self-destruct.

And, true to his crowd-pleasing tendencies, Mettaton begins to do so with tears streaming down his two sets of eyes.

A strange sort of desperation takes ahold of you as you hold out your hands and cry out to the robot.

***(You tell Mettaton to stop. That he’s making a mistake. You tell him that his shows and acting may be flawed, but there’s always room for improvement with practice. You tell Mettaton that he _will_ be missed. That his disappearance won’t help or make anyone happy. You tell Mettaton that, sometimes, it’s the meanest and cruelest words that are the loudest. It’s easy to overlook the kinder thoughts and actions of others. You talk and talk even as your throat dries up and your voice begins to crack. And yet, you still talk.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

“Why?” he asks you, voice so fragile and vulnerable.

“Why are you being…so nice to me? I tried to kill you so many times…so why?”

***You tell Mettaton that you believe that even the worst of people can change…if they try. So live, you insist, and try.**

As you continue to talk the robot away from self-destructing himself, many eyes watch. Many ears listen.

* * *

Flowey is silent as you walk through New Home. You find a locket and a worn dagger in a room that resembled the room you stayed in with Toriel. Equipping these things, you move past the mirror, not sparing it a glance as you move forward.

* * *

You stand in front of Sans as he judges you for every action and gained EXP. The beautiful hallway makes the entire event solemn as he explains to you significance of the acronyms and sizes up your Level Of ViolencE with a critical eye.

“but you…you never gained any LOVE.”

Suddenly, your soul pings blue. Before you can even react, you slam against the ground, knocking Flowey right out of your grasp. You stare blankly at Sans’ sneakers as you try to get back your bearings.

“which is why…yer too weak.”

You yelp as you hear the familiar sound of a gaster blaster shooting at you. You try to roll away from it but you’re too late.

“sorry. can’t let ya pass, kid. it’ll be an ensured execution if you go any further.”

* * *

Instead of waking up in the Save Screen, you find yourself tucked under a warm blanket. You stumble out of the small bed and look around. It’s a toolshed. You wiggle past the bars and walk over to the door. 

The door is unlocked. You walk outside and see snow. It seems that you’re back in Snowdin.

“Frisk! Frisk! You’re all right!” Flowey cries out, relieved. His boot is set right outside the toolshed. You pick him up.

You move forward.

* * *

You try again. And again. And again.

Slowly, but ever so surely, you manage to move forward. It’s difficult and Sans is unpredictable with his attacks, but you are **~~Determined~~** to try.

“why don’t you stay with boss and me in snowdin? i know ain’t the best place for a kid ta grow up, but it’s better than dyin’ at the king’s feet in the name of a war we don’t even want ta fight in anymore. c’mon kid, give us a chance.”

Sans stops his attacks and holds out his hands entreatingly.

“paps and i will take good care of ya. promise. we…we can be like _family_.”

**ACT:**

***Accept *Refuse**

***With a heavy heart, you refuse Sans’ offer. You need to go forward.**

Sans’ eyelights goes out and he lets out a defeated laugh. “you’re pretty determined, kid, i’ll give you that. fine, i’ll…i’ll let ya go.” He continues to hold his arms open and offers you a sad smile. “how about givin’ ol’ sansy a hug before ya go?”

When you do, you bury your face into the fur of his coat and mumble apologies.

“heh, i’m sorry too, kiddo.”

You feel a bone attack hit you from behind.

“You lying, cheating trashbag!” Flowey cries out from the sidelines angrily. It hurts, you realize as your legs give out, it hurts. Sans holds onto you as you slowly lose your consciousness.

“give up, kid.” You hear Sans tell you. “sometimes, it’s the best choice.”

When you wake up in the shed again, you curl into the blankets and cry.

* * *

In the end, you win.

With no weapon or magic, you manage to defeat Sans through sheer willpower and stamina alone.

***Spare**

When no more bone attacks come your way, you relax your dodging stance and let out a sigh of relief. Flowey wiggles from his position in excitement. “Frisk! You did it!” You go over to him to pick up the boot, offering him an exhausted smile as you do so.

***You WON!**

***You earned 0G.**

You take a breath and walk past Sans. Just as he had promised, he does not reach out and stop you as you make your way through the Judgement Hall. Instead, he watches you as you face forward and prepare yourself to face the King of Monsters.

“kid… _please_. i‘m beggin’ ya,” you hear Sans say behind you with a hitch in his voice, “don’t go.”

The rawness and vulnerability in his voice makes you pause mid-step. “ _Frisk,_ ” you hear Flowey hiss nervously next to your ear, “don’t fall for it. He’s probably pretending again.”

But the messy way Sans is crying tells you otherwise. There is no dignity in the way that he begs you to stay and you’re certain that if he is trying to trick you into another victory, he wouldn’t purposefully lower himself down onto his knees.

***(Even though it might hurt you, you decide to make sure your friend is okay. While you can always try again in FIGHTing past Sans, there is only one chance to assure him.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

Ignoring Flowey’s pleas, you turn and walk back to Sans. You stop right in front of him.

**ACT:**

***Comfort him *Do not**

***You do your best to wrap your arms around your friend and you tell him everything is going to be okay. You promise him that you’re not going to leave him or anyone else in the Underground behind.**

***You tell him that you’ll find a way to leave together.**

You feel Sans’ arms close around you and squeeze you back.

“heh. heheh. you really believe that, don’t ‘cha? ah, what the hell. ok. i’ll do it. i’m rootin’ for ya, kid. if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

***(Sans’ encouragement fills you with ~~Determination.~~ You won’t let him down.)**

* * *

But of course, it’s never that easy.

King Asgore is just as frightening and formidable as the stories say. He was a kind king once, you remember hearing. But then, the loss of his children filled him with so much wrath that it tainted and warped him into the king he is now.

His red eyes bear down on you accusingly as he swings his trident and lashes out with fire magic. Despite the images of an aggrieved king occasionally overlapping with the enraged boss monster in front of you, you continue to dodge.

But you know that isn’t enough. No ACTions would sway him and your MERCY button was shattered right at the beginning, leaving you with no other choice. Much to your shame and self-disgust, you use the worn dagger.

“It’s only self-defense,” Flowey would say if he were here with you. You had tossed him and his boot far away when Asgore’s attacks began to target the flower. You hope that the fireball that had burned the boot into crisp didn’t burn Flowey up too as you feared. You hope that he reached soil and ran far, far away.

Even with the possibility of your friend’s death, you never lash out in anger or grief. You make sure that you only strike until the Monster King is too weakened to continue – no further.

Eventually, you have King Asgore at your MERCY.

“Well? Do it, human. Strike me down, take my soul, and cross the barrier.”

( _“I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. This war has gone long enough. Take my soul and leave this cursed place.” And of course, without any hesitation, you choose to –_ )

***Spare**

And then

***You offer the king your hand.**

He takes it.

Before you can blink, you are thrown down onto the ground.

“Foolish human,” King Asgore booms above you, trident ready to strike through your chest, “don’t you realize? In this world, it’s kill or be killed.”

You find no MERCY in his eyes.

“Goodbye.”

You prepare yourself to die and try again.

And then, a giant, plant-like appendage lands on him, completely crushing the Monster King.

You look up at your savior and pale.

( _“You’re HOPELESS! Hopeless and alone!” The being taunts down at you as you stand defiantly against him. Even with the circle of flower pellets around your soul, you stay determined. “Call for help. I dare you.” Nobody will come. “See what good it does you!”_ )

“-risk! I’ve come to help! Frisk! Are you okay? D – King Asgore didn’t hurt you badly, did he?”

***…Flowey?**

“What? You – oh right, I forgot.” Flowey laughs nervously as he looks himself over. “This is a completely new look. Well, taking in six human souls after recruiting them to take down their murderer can do that to you. Did I scare you?”

Your initial fear of Flowey’s new form disappears as you note the differences between him and the Giant Monstrosity you vaguely remember fighting. His features are softer and brighter, sporting a beautiful assortment of flowers and a halo. Unlike the one in your memory, this Flowey is mostly plant than machine, retaining only the television screen that acts as his face.

Flowey looks different, but he is still the same, loyal friend who has stuck by you throughout your journey.

***You tell Flowey that you were confused and surprised, but that doesn’t lessen the fact that you are glad to see that he is safe and alive.**

Flowey’s colorful petals tremble. “Aw, Frisk. You should worry more about yourself.” You think he would have hugged you if there wasn’t a possibility that he could crush you with the drastic size difference between you two.

But then, Flowey completely ruins the heartfelt moment by lifting his plant limb from the ground and presenting you with a single monster soul.

Asgore’s.

“Take it,” he pleads, “I knew you were too kind to do it, so I did it for you. Take it and cross the barrier.” Flowey’s smile turns sad. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. But you need to go back to the surface where you’re safe. You can be free now.”

**ACT:**

***Accept *Refuse**

***You refused to take the soul and leave them behind. You tell Flowey that you made a promise and you intend to keep it no matter what.**

“Frisk…”

Flowey lowers the soul. Though disappointed, he doesn’t look too surprised by your decision. You also see his acceptance to your decision and feel grateful for it, no matter how resigned it may be.

“Why don’t you take a break after the next reload? Go and visit Dr. Alphys. It seems like you haven’t gotten to know her that well.” Flowey smiles ruefully. “I won’t be able to come with you. You’re going to learn some truths about myself there. It’s unavoidable. Just please…don’t hate me, okay? Please don’t hate me, Frisk.”

***Before you can speak, Flowey runs away.**

* * *

“are you ever going to give up on them?”

***You tell Geno “never”.**

“your heart’s in the right place, kid. i know you want them to get a happy ending, but you gotta understand that with the power to RESET, everything might get erased the moment you move on.”

***…**

“just…think about it before you give too much of yourself. it might not be worth it.”

* * *

Befriending Alphys was surprisingly easy. Helping her out in wooing Undyne was even easier since you had enlisted the help of the Skeleton Brothers. Still, you feel the sharp absence of Flowey. He had left his boot behind when you came back from a reload.

Even Alphys, who you haven’t known for so long, notices that you’re not happy.

“It’s the flower, isn’t it?” she asks you hesitantly while adjusting her glasses. “His absence is understandable since you came here to meet me. _You_ may be endlessly forgiving since you’re a protagonist-like figure with a Kindness soul, but that flower has every reason to hate me. Especially after what I’ve done to him.”

You find out what Alphys had meant when you descend into the True Lab. The Amalgamates were frightening at first, but you manage to get to the bottom of the mystery with your life intact. After Alphys leaves you alone to return the Amalgamates to their families, the entries that had previously not worked suddenly lit up as you pass them.

You read them. You read them and, for some reason, you recall the VHR tapes that you played and watched. You already know of the tragedy of Prince Asriel and the First Fallen Human, but the conversations that you overhear in those tapes make you wish you never knew.

ENTRY NUMBER 8: I’ve chosen a candidate. 

_“I…I don’t like this idea, Chara.”_

ENTRY NUMBER 8: In the center of his majesty’s garden, there’s something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world.

_“Wh-What? N-No, I’m not…big kids don’t cry. Yeah, you’re right. No, I’d never doubt you, Chara! Never! Y…Yeah! We’ll be strong! We’ll free everyone.”_

ENTRY NUMBER 8 (continuation): I wonder…What happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?

_“I’ll go get the flowers.”_

ENTRY NUMBER 18: the flower’s gone.

The words seem to echo as the single, damning sentence tells you the entire truth.

Then, you look down.

And right at your feet, Flowey looks up at you with a strained smile. “See? Doesn’t it all make you want to run away? I’m not good, Frisk. I’m not a good person at all. You’re better off being without a soulless abomination like me.”

***(After a moment of silence, you tell Asriel that this changes nothing. He is still your friend, no matter his origins or what he lacked. Despite him being a ‘soulless abomination’, he had been the first one to help you and protect you. That is not something that you would ever forget. You tell Asriel that you still want him by your side…if he’d like.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

“Frisk…come on. You’re…you’re going to make me cry again.”

And he cries. He wails into his leaves. And you?

You stay right beside him until he’s exhausted all his tears. You refuse to leave him alone.

* * *

And you’re not alone when you face Asgore again either.

Not only does Toriel come to forcefully put a stop to the fighting, but many other monsters come to speak for your behalf. Not only your friends, but also the many monsters you spared and saved. The opinion to not go to war with the humans and to show you MERCY is unanimous.

Asgore…Asgore simply stares at the spectacle. When everything calms and Toriel is acknowledged as the missing Queen, Asgore’s fate and his crown is placed in her hands. Seeing her anger and distaste, many waits for her to either exile or execute him.

Instead of doing any of that, Toriel turns to you. “Well, my child? What shall we do with this miserable creature? It was _you_ he tried to kill, after all.”

What to do? Well, it’s obvious.

***You ask the King of Monsters if he would like a cup of tea.**

Asgore stares at you blankly. “I don’t understand. Don’t you hate me, human child?”

**ACT:**

***Forgive *Do not**

***(While you have endured many trials because of his wrath, you still understand that he is both King and Father. More importantly, this is Asriel’s father. You forgive the Monster King.)**

***(You are filled with Kindness.)**

Tears begin to overflow from the boss monster’s eyes. “Child, your kindness is too much to bear for this old monster.”

You understand the feeling too well.

***Once again, you invite him out to tea.**

In the end, King Asgore amended his laws and announced to the entire Underground that monsters will no longer treat humans as enemies, but as friends. You agree to freely donate your soul to the breaking of the barrier after you live out your natural life. Toriel, on the other hand, returns to her previous position as Queen.

“heh, guess you ended up choosing to stay down here with us.” Sans pats you on the head and even gives one of Flowey’s petals a playful flick. “dunno why you struggled so hard to move forward if _this_ is the result.”

***You tell Sans that speaking with the king was necessary. After all, isn’t the Underground better for it? No more fear. No more killing. Just good friends, good food, and bad laughs.**

“yeah…you’re right…”

Sans reaches around his neck and, with a sharp tug, he snaps off the collar around his neck.

“guess i don’t need this anymore.”

He tosses it to you, rubbing his neck. “here. a souvenir or a medal or whatever for goin’ through hell and making it back alive, ya crazy kid.”

“Don’t use Frisk and throw that thing away on your own!” Flowey hisses, but even you can tell that there’s no true heat behind his words.

You laugh at the two of them and –

And the world suddenly goes dark.

* * *

You hear the wind blowing. Everything is gone. Everything…except a single figure of a child staring back at you with a smile that sends shivers down your spine.

“Greetings,” they say, “I am Chara. It’s nice to finally talk to you face-to-face, Frisk. I’ve been watching your journey for a long time.”

***You ask Chara what they are planning to do.**

Chara tilts their head. “Can’t you tell? I’m going to erase this world, Frisk. Neither humans _or_ monsters deserve a happy ending, so why give it to them?”

***You tell Chara you can’t let them do that. No one deserves to never see the sun.**

Chara gives you a sympathetic look. “Frisk, you _know_ how far I was willing to go for all monsters. I did it because I believed that all monsters deserved to be happy. But then, I wake up to _this._ ”

The vitriol in their voice makes you step back. Images of monsters killing each other and hunting young children flash across your eyes. These memories are not your own. And yet, the disappointment and hatred that goes through you feels all too real. You feel so much despair. So much hopelessness.

Chara’s voice gentles. “I can see now that monsters aren’t any better than humans. None of them deserve to reach the surface. I won’t allow it. What I’m doing right now is a _Kindness_.” They hold out their hand to you. “Join me, partner.”

***From the darkness, you hear a voice that is not your own call for help.**

Chara’s sweet face twists into something ugly when they hear the sound of the voice. Dark matter begins to seep down their eyes and their mouth when a goat monster steps out of the darkness. “Asriel! You’re getting in my way? Again?”

Asriel Dremurr stands in front of you defensively. “What you’re doing is wrong, Chara. I won’t let you hurt anyone. And I won’t let you use Frisk and their kindness to do that.”

“Why not let _them_ choose for themselves, Azzie?” Chara turns to you. “How many times did these monsters reject your Kindness, Frisk? _How many times did they kill you?_ And what’s to say they won’t kill again? You’re protecting lost causes, Frisk!”

“They all love you, Frisk,” Asriel calls out to you softly. “I don’t just have the six human souls with me. Every monster soul in the Underground is here with me too. You helped them and made them want to be better, And they all love you.”

“Hah! Those are just words!”

“It’s true!”

Your hands clench as you try to clear your head. You wince as your palm digs into something sharp. You look down and see Sans’ snapped collar in your hand. It fills you with the strength and confidence that Chara somehow took from you. It reminds you that you can’t give up here, not yet, because there is a friend waiting for you in the Save Screen.

***You thank Chara for being concerned about you and respectfully reject their offer. The monsters are your friends and you want them to be happy. So you won’t help them erase the world and will FIGHT them by every turn if they try.**

***You tell Chara that you choose to break the barrier and let monsterkind go free.**

“NO!” Chara cries out, but it’s already too late. You hear a crack as something breaks and shatters. Though your surroundings haven’t changed, you know that Asriel and all the souls succeeded.

***The barrier is broken.**

“Why?”

Chara looks at you, completely lost and confused by your decision. For once, they look like a child.

“Why are you protecting them so much? They were all so terrible to you.”

***You tell Chara “Even the worst people can change for the better if they try”. You tell Chara that they can change too. You offer them to come to the surface together.**

Chara turns away from you sharply.

“…You really _are_ an idiot.”

They disappear, taking the darkness with them.

Asriel, now Flowey again, stares at the empty spot where their sibling once stood sadly from his boot. You pick him up and hug him. “…I’m okay. Let’s go home, Frisk. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

* * *

You stare at the RESET button hovering in front of you. With Chara gone, the next individual with the highest amount of Determination can change fate however they please. It’s only by a stroke of luck that this power is in your hands.

***(…What a heavy feeling.)**

Just as Geno had said, your hard work could be shattered in an instant. It just takes one, curious child who willingly ignores the consequences of their actions.

You raise your hand and bring it down onto the button.

…

_Crack_

You let out a breath of relief as the RESET button shatters into pieces at your feet.

***(Despite the unpredictability of the world outside, your choice to protect the happy endings of everyone fills you with Kindness.)**

“Frisk! Let’s go!” Flowey insists as everyone else waits in excitement to finally reach the surface. They’ll have to all go on without you. This is _their_ happy ending, after all. You just hope that they won’t be too sad.

***It’s time to go home.**

You look at your friends the last time with a smile and **Exit**.

To your surprise, you don’t return to the Save Screen immediately. Instead, as you fall back, you briefly catch sight of the body that you had inhabited this entire time move on their own. Their eyes meet yours for a brief moment, acknowledging you, before they turn away.

They catch up with their friends with a kind and happy smile on their face.

And then, you feel yourself getting caught by familiar hands. You tilt your head back and meet Geno’s proud eyelight.

***You tell Geno that you’re back.**

“welcome back, kid.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember that obligatory info dump chapter? Yeah, it ain't got nothin' on this one.
> 
> Here are additional links to headcannons/artworks/voice acting that inspired me as I wrote this chapter:
> 
> Heacannons on Underfell made by Franstastic-ideas [Here](https://franstastic-ideas.tumblr.com/post/187808442149/underfell-headcanons)  
> rainbowchibbit's comic "Soulfell" [Here](https://rainbowchibbit.tumblr.com/post/143716363663/you-can-support-me-on-patreon-d-and-so-it)  
> Felldyne's Design [Here](https://ink-ami.tumblr.com/post/173603822605/smells-like-an-angry-sushi-i-have-a-headcanon-uf)  
> Alpha Flowey's Design [Here](https://nanax777.tumblr.com/post/151497368687)  
> Crashboombanger's voiceovers for Sans and Papyrus [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh3OpvUpW7Q) and [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjsSoqE7iRA)


	7. Bravery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, you fall into Underswap. While everyone you know is swapped around now, you have a general grasp of how to make your way around this version of the Underground. And, while your soul still isn't red, orange is close enough, right? You've got this! This'll be easy! 
> 
> Not.
> 
> You hate group projects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop: Underswap. This AU was originally created by [Popcornpr1nce](https://underswap.fandom.com/wiki/Popcornpr1nce) . Like Underfell, it's now an AU adopted by the community. The fandom also have various interpretations on the characters of this universe. But, the general idea of this universe is: everyone's personalities and roles are switched (except Jerry. No one wants to switch with Jerry).
> 
> [Here](https://underswap.fandom.com/wiki/Underswap) is a link to the wiki for more info. Though, please note that I have my own headcannons and interpretation of this universe that may differ from what's written there.
> 
> **Warning: Past Self-Harm and Referenced Abuse**

“great job out there, kid,” Geno praises you as he sets you back onto your feet. He ruffles your hair fondly. “you managed to reform an underground full of killers _and_ prove me wrong. also, shattering the reset button? genius. how do you even come up with these things?”

***You tell Geno that Asgore shattering your MERCY button helped you think of that solution.**

Geno shakes his head. “and you found out how to do the same thing after watching it once. humans are sure something.”

***You tell Geno that you remembered a lot of things during your time in the strange version of the Underground.**

“oh?” Geno tilts his head in interest, making his scarf hitch up over the lower half of his face. “what did you remember, kid?”

***You excitedly explain about the brief flashes of conversations and feelings you had when you met someone or interacted with something. You tell Geno that you remember your friends.**

The glow of Geno’s eyelights brightens as you recount the snippets of memories that you had regained. He looks happy for you. But then, something seems to catch his eye and he interrupts you in mid-sentence when he grabs your arm.

“hey, what’s that in your hand?”

You look down and…well.

What is the Broken Collar doing around your wrist? You carefully untie it and hold it up to the light, making the blunted, gold spikes on it glitter. It smells like mustard. There’s no doubt about it. This is the same collar that Sans had given you. But how? Wasn’t this on the vessel?

“mind opening up your inventory? i want to test something,” Geno says, breaking you out of your musing. Instinctively, you go through the motions to do so and yelp when the window actually pops up in front of you. You see the items that you’d gathered within the box and gape. Geno watches your reaction carefully. “it worked, huh? so even though you’re technically borrowing the body, the objects that you equip and place in your inventory follows you into the save screen. interesting…”

***You take out a Mean Scream and offer it to Geno.**

Geno takes the Mean Scream and takes a bite. He lets out an appreciative hum as he swallows. You watch, completely mystified by the anatomy (or lack thereof) of the skeleton monster in front of you. Where does it all go?

“tastes exactly like nice cream,” Geno takes another bite, “i thought i’d never eat again.”

***You promise Geno that you’ll bring back more food from the next run. You ask him if he’d like anything.**

“grillby’s if you can,” Geno replies instantly. “and ketchup. the more the better.” He pauses mid-bite and turns to look at you fully. “leaving already, kid? you hardly took a break.”

***You tell Geno that you’re ready.**

“alright. if you say so.” Geno finishes up his Mean Scream and tosses away the stick along with the wrapper. He gives you a wink with his visible eye. “don’t let me keep you.”

You give Geno a parting wave before turning back to the **Continue** and **Reset** buttons. You take a breath and step through.

* * *

You fall face-first into a bed of flowers.

This time, when you sit up, you don’t take the time to admire the colors of your surroundings. As beautiful and serene as the atmosphere is, you have a mission to finish and a hamburger to buy.

As you stumble onto your feet, something catches your eye, making you pause. You lift your arm and stare at your sweater. Green and yellow? These aren’t the usual colors that you wear when you fall down into the Underground. So why…? Is this another glitch?

You open your stats, hoping that there’s something in there that can explain the situation.

**“Chara”**

**LV 1**

**HP 20/20**

**AT 0 (15) EXP: 0**

**DF 0 (0) NEXT:10**

**WEAPON: Worn Dagger**

**ARMOR: Bandage**

**GOLD: 0**

Something’s wrong, you realize with a sinking feeling as you reread the name of your vessel. Something is very, very wrong.

And then, as if to prove your worries true, a you hear a familiar voice resounding in your head.

_Who are you? What are you doing in my body?_

* * *

Naturally, you freak out.

You freak out for a long, long time.

While you had been sympathetic and merciful to the Chara you encountered back in your previous run, you are still wary of the other human. Being stuck with them in the same head sends you into a fight or flight mode that results with the body falling over and convulsing while you writhe and attempt to scramble away from Chara.

Chara, in turn, tries to do something similar. They attempt to forcefully push you out of their head. Instead of pushing you _out,_ they accidentally dip into your memories. You immediately shut them out, but you instantly know that you weren’t quick enough. Chara reels back in horror at the flashes of the many deaths you had experienced in your previous run.

Now both of you are freaking out.

While this goes on for an unknown amount of time, Chara is the first to snap out of their mental breakdown. They immediately take reigns of their own body and push you into the backseat as they make a break for it from the room. They don’t go too far and immediately stop once they enter into the next room.

A lone, handmade cat doll sits on the patch of grass. Chara cautiously inches closer to the inanimate object and jumps when it moves.

“hOI! im tEM! tEM da tEMMIE!!!” The stuffed animal proclaims cheerfully. For some odd reason, you automatically think of college funds and armors. What do these things have to do with this strange creature? Meanwhile, you feel Chara’s body relax at its antics.

“…Hi.”

Temmie tilts her head. “u r new to the unDERGROUND ya? awawawawa! u mus b sooo confus! tEM wil teach human!” With a wink, Temmie summons Chara’s soul. Surprise flows through you when you see that the soul in front of you is, once again, not red. It isn’t green, either.

It’s orange.

_Hey, strange voice, what’s so important about the color of the heart thing?_

It seems that Chara can get a vague grasp of your thoughts even when you’re not directly reaching out to them. This is concerning.

***You tell Chara that the ‘heart thing’ is their soul – the culmination of their being. If any damage comes to it, they (and you) will die. You also explain to Chara that the color of their soul signifies their trait, which is Bravery in this case.**

Temmie tells Chara the same thing. When she offers to help Chara gain LOVE, you begin to regard the stuffed toy in a different light. That’s right, didn’t your own Flowey pull something like this? Chara immediately picks up on your wariness and brings up their guard.

“r u readY? tEM is readY!!! yaYA! lETS go!!!”

***You tell Chara to not let any of the ‘tem flakes’ touch their soul.**

Chara listens to you, maneuvering their soul away from the magical projectiles.

Temmie’s grin starts to strain as the tem flakes miss the orange soul completely. “hOI! human, don’t miss tem flakes this time, yaYA?”

Chara dodges them once again. The grin is gone for a brief second before Temmie forces a smile.

“Dude, are you braindead or something? Run. Into. the _Bullets_!”

After Chara dodges them for the final time, Temmie’s expression turns ugly.

**_“You know what’s going on here, don’t you?”_** Chara yelps as a ring of tem flakes surround their soul, making it impossible to escape. ** _“You just wanted to see me suffer.”_**

_What should I do? What should I do?_ Chara desperately demands as their soul is pelted with tem flakes again and again. Temmie’s maniacal laughter echoes throughout the room, adding into the tension. You try to send out feelings of calm to the other human. Help will come, you try to convince yourself as you feel the soul’s HP drop lower and lower. Help _has to_ come.

**“DIE.”**

***You called out for help.**

A familiar trident lands in front of Temmie, shocking her enough to drop her attack.

“Now, now. There’s no need to fight,” your savior rumbles, stepping out into the open. Asgore Dreemurr looks at the Temmie chidingly. “And there’s certainly no need to kill anyone, correct?”

Temmie looks like she wants to say something nasty to the big monster, but she takes one look at the trident blocking her path and she reconsiders. She then turns her tail and runs away.

Asgore retrieves his trident and unequips it before wandering closer to Chara. While they begin to tremble at the strange monster’s sheer size, you only regard him with curiosity. You note that he isn’t wearing his usual royal garbs. Instead, his outfit makes him look more like a gardener than a king.

For a moment, you see Asgore’s taken aback reaction when he realizes Chara’s identity as a human. He quickly recovers and kneels down to look them over for injuries. 

“My child, are you all right? Please, let me look –”

Chara flinches away from Asgore’s touch. To your alarm, they bring out their dagger and points it at the monster. “Don’t touch me! Stay away from me!”

Instead of being upset by their actions, Asgore only looks sad. He takes a step back and holds up his hands pacifyingly.

“I assure you, child, I will not harm you.”

Asgore takes the time to calm Chara enough to properly introduce himself and offer to act as a guide throughout the Ruins. Though he doesn’t quite repeat the same words that your Toriel said in your memories, you can tell that he is essentially replacing her role as the ‘Caretaker of the Ruins’. Well… ‘Gardener of the Ruins’ seems more fitting with his getup, but still.

***You tell Chara that they should follow Asgore.**

Grudgingly, Chara takes Asgore’s outstretched paw.

***(The act of trust, however small, fills both of you with Bravery.)**

* * *

This version of the Ruins is significantly kinder than the one in your previous run. While Asgore does a lot of handholding in the first part, he eventually leaves Chara alone with a phone. You easily guide Chara through the puzzles as they traverse through the area.

By listening to this kind of situation, other people would immediately assume that everything is going fine, right?

Well, no. In fact, everything _isn’t_ going fine. Why? Because of Chara. Or, to be more specific, their jumpiness around low-level monsters and their dagger.

Thankfully, Chara is mostly clumsy with their weapon, making it easier for monsters like Froggits and Whimsums to dodge and flee.

_Un_ fortunately, there are some monsters that insist to remain in an encounter. Like the Ruins Ghost in front of you at the moment pouting at Chara’s ‘rudeness’. Your anxiety rises as they deal a significant amount of damage on the ghost with a lucky slash.

***You demand Chara to stop FIGHTing before they do something irreversible to Happstablook. They can talk this out, right?**

_Why should I? That stupid ghost attacked first, didn’t they?_

Chara isn’t listening to you. What a mess. Your worry as both Chara and Happstablook become more and more agitated. If it continues this way, someone is going to end up hurt.

***You want to resolve this issue peacefully. You are filled with D ~~etermination.~~**

Within a blink, you are back in control of the body. Chara starts to pitch a fit from the backseat, but you manage to subdue them with the force of your sheer will. You wince when one of Happstablook’s dramatic tears hit Chara’s shoulder because of your slow reaction. Right. You need to do some damage control.

**ACT:**

***Apologize *Compliment**

***Cheer *Scream**

***You sincerely apologize to Happstablook for insulting them. You explain that you are new in the area and your fear of meeting new people makes you lash out.**

“…Oh.” Happstablook’s tears stop when they hear your explanation. “I didn’t know you felt like that…honestly, I’m scared of people too. Even though I’ve always dreamed of performing…I always get so frightened when I feel so many eyes on me…I’m always scared that they’re judging me…that’s why I’m here in the Ruins…”

**ACT:**

***Compliment *Cheer**

***Heel Turn**

***You tell Happstablook that your previous insult in their appearance is untrue. Gasp! The truth that you were desperately hiding was that you actually think that their hairstyle looks cute!**

Happstablook begins to blush. Your compliment is very effective!

**ACT:**

***Compliment *Cheer**

***Heel Turn**

***You compliment Happstablook’s singing voice and express regret for rudely interrupting such an angelic voice!**

***Oh, what is this? “Compliment” turns into “Flirt”!**

Happstablook wiggles happily. Their tears have completely dried at that point.

“Oh my~ you’re too much, dear! Your compliments are too much! Stop it! Stop! (Please don’t.)”

**ACT:**

***Cheer *Heel Turn**

***You give Happstablook an encouraging cheer. They can do it! They can overcome their fears!**

“I don’t think I can be that brave,” Happstablook confesses to you, “but still…you’ve cheered me up a lot today. Even if we didn’t get off on the right foot at first, I’m glad that you turned out to be someone very nice! Um…it’s not that much but…here!” You receive an NTT backstage pass. “If you ever come out of the Ruins, be sure to come to one of Blooky’s performances! My cousin is very good!”

***Happstablook spares you.**

Well, that’s one Encounter peacefully resolved. As Chara wrestles control back, you wonder how many more times you’re going to have to intervene.

* * *

Of course, with you and Chara squabbling over control over the body during Encounters, you eventually die. You fume and pout about it in the Save Screen. Geno chuckles behind you after hearing your complaints.

***You apologize to Geno.**

“for what?”

***You tell Geno that there’s another glitch. This version of the Underground is just as different and the last one. You apologize again for wasting his time?**

“hey, hey, it’s okay, kid. really. i mean, _i_ thought we had some sort of time limit, but it turns out that it’s not the case.” Geno gestures over to the screen with the taunting GAME OVER scrawled across it. “you see this? well, ever since you messed with the buttons and jumped through, that demon brat hasn’t been able to **continue** their homicidal runs. honestly, what you’re doing is _preventing_ the demon from hurting paps again, so i’m not complaining. just do what you gotta do.” He pats your head. “we’ll get there eventually.”

***You express your relief.**

“aww, kid, were you stressing out about that this entire time? heheh, don’t worry about that anymore, okay? besides, don’t you have another problem to take care of?”

***You make a face.**

Geno snickers at your expression. “okay, okay, since it’s bothering you so much, how about i help a little? here’s a suggestion: the next time you take over, you should unequip that weapon and throw it far, _far_ away.”

* * *

The solution sounded so simple, and yet, unequipping the dagger is impossible no matter how hard you try.

_Don’t you dare, you idiot! That’s the only thing that’s keeping both of us alive!_ Chara hisses as they block you every time. _Your stupidity is going to get both of us **killed**! **Again!**_

Despite your efforts to show Chara otherwise, they are convinced that the only solution to all encounters is a swipe of their dagger. Though, you think quite charitably, they haven’t been proven wrong yet so that must be why.

***You make a suggestion to Chara.**

_So you’re saying that as long as if I let you take care of the small fries **your** way, you’ll let me use my dagger on bigger opponents **my** way?_

***You stress the part about them Sparing the monsters when their HP is low enough. You tell Chara that monsters are fragile and will easily dust – die – if they are not careful.**

_…I don’t want to kill anyone._

Though its only said mentally, Chara’s voice is small as they tell you this.

***(Chara makes a leap of faith and agrees to your offer. Both of you are filled with Bravery.)**

* * *

By the time Chara reaches Asgore’s home, both of you have managed to reach a nice balance: you handled Encounters with ACTing and dodging and Chara took over the puzzle-solving. Asgore receives Chara at the entrance with open paws. Well, he does this after all the worried fussing and the thousand apologies for leaving them all alone.

Asgore once again ushers Chara to come inside as he has a surprise for them.

***(Though a bit nervous, Chara decides to enter without your prompting. Bravery fuels their first step.)**

You sit back and let Chara have full control as they interact with Asgore. You feel their surprise and gratefulness at the warm tea and the slightly burnt and crumbly slice of cinnamon butterscotch pie on the table. You feel their tentative curiosity as they wander through the halls and into the rooms. You feel their wonder when seeing the beautiful garden of golden flowers. You feel their trust when they finally take Asgore’s paw.

And, most of all, you feel how much Asgore’s kindness seems almost too much to bear for the other human.

You don’t push Chara to leave. The idea of it is too cruel since they have been so happy ever since they got here. So, you give them the choice to stay or leave.

“How can I leave the Ruins?”

But, despite all the warmth and generosity that they have experienced, Chara cannot be happy in one place without an exit. According to them, a cage will always be a cage – no matter how beautiful it looks or how nice it feels.

Asgore promptly heads to the basement to destroy the exit and Chara recklessly follows. They continue to demand for an explanation as the silence becomes more and more oppressive. You sense the questions swimming around in their head and you do your best to explain them as best as you can. Of course, you don’t have all the answers. You don’t know the Monster King as well as you would have wanted to.

if Chara stiffens when Asgore presents an ultimatum of either proving themselves capable in FIGHTing or to return upstairs.

***(Chara refuses to back down from the challenge without a proper conversation! They are filled with Bravery!)**

You try to take Chara’s place when you’re both pulled into an Encounter with Asgore, but they stubbornly insist that this is something that they have to do. To your surprise, they take the initiative to ACT instead of their usual slashing with their dagger. They plead with Asgore and even beg for him to understand.

***You tell Chara that in this situation, ACTing is not the way.**

_Asgore is kind and good, not like all the other adults,_ Chara insists, making you falter. _He’ll listen if I keep talking. I know he will._

But he doesn’t.

You feel their confidence slowly turn into confusion until it finally becomes betrayal as the ex-royal continuously ignores their pleas to stop this FIGHT and listen. The dark feeling deepens when Asgore’s trident grazes their arm.

**-5HP**

Anger pulses through you so strong that you almost mistake it as your own. Chara grips onto their dagger and begins to FIGHT. Unlike their sloppy strikes, their rage seems to improve their attacks.

***You yell at Chara, telling them that they are hurting Asgore. You tell them to stop and let you take over. There is a peaceful way of resolving this!**

They shrug off your pleas to take over with a sharp reminder that you _agreed_ that they could FIGHT the more difficult battles.

So, with anxiety climbing up your throat, you watch and wait.

You breathe a sigh of relief when Chara stops their attacks the moment Asgore drops onto his knee.

“Urgh…you are stronger than I thought.”

Despite the pain he’s undoubtedly feeling, Asgore gives Chara a smile filled with so much pride that it physically takes them aback. You feel their confusion at his expression.

“My child,” you feel Chara flinch at the endearing title, “listen to me. If you insist on stepping through that door, keep moving forward as far as you can. Eventually, you will reach the exit. Do not let Toriel take your soul. You do not need to bear the burden of being the hope of monsterkind at the expense of your life.”

Asgore’s proud smile gains an edge of sadness and you immediately sense that something is wrong.

“…Be good, won’t you?”

You both watch Asgore dust in mute horror as both of your worlds abruptly go dark.

* * *

“…kid, this isn’t your fault.”

This isn’t the first time he told you this.

You had been crying in the Save Screen for hours. You were inconsolable no matter how many times Geno tried to comfort you.

***With a warbling voice, you confess to Geno about the deal you made with Chara. You were the one who let them FIGHT. So, yes. It is your fault.**

***You also add that you won’t let it happen again.**

* * *

And you don’t.

The first thing you do after you jump back, is to lock Chara into the backseat and throw away the proverbial key. Of course, the other human can muscle their way back if they tried, but their usual fierceness is only a murmur in your mind. You tell yourself that you don’t care. It’s their recklessness and their constant refusal to choose MERCY that got Asgore killed.

“…wait. Why do look at me like that so, small one? It’s as if you have seen a ghost. Do you know something I do not? No…that is impossible.”

Fueled by **De ~~termination~~** , you reenact the battle with Asgore. You are persistent in Sparing him and continue until he relents. Just as your Toriel had done, Asgore sends you off with a mournful farewell and a tight hug.

You pretend that the pain in your chest belongs to you. You also staunchly ignore Temmie when she mocks you for you and Chara’s mistake.

“I know what you did,” she taunts you as you walk past her. “You killed him!”

***(You acknowledge to yourself that you play a large role in that mistake. You also refuse to let Temmie’s mockery hold you back. You have the Bravery to keep moving forward and to learn to be better.)**

***(You have to be.)**

And so, you pass Temmie and move forward until you step out of the Ruins. The snow outside of it is still as beautiful and cold as ever. You find a decently sized stick on the path and immediately replace it with the worn dagger.

You don’t hear Chara complain.

But Chara _does_ have a few, choice words when you refuse to acknowledge the ominous crunching of the snow behind you.

“ **h u m a n.** ” The voice behind you states and you resist the urge to flinch when Chara begins to scream.

You wait patiently for the voice to tell you to turn around and shake their hand. That’s what they’re _supposed_ to say judging by the patterns that you’ve followed so far. But that never comes.

Instead, you’re whirled around, coming face-to-face with a pair of star-shaped eyelights.

“– RIGHT? YOU’RE REALLY A HUMAN…RIGHT?!”

It’s Sans. Well, Sans in armor and significantly more excitable and donning a blue bandana instead of a hoodie, but still Sans. With how everyone is swapped around, you had expected Papyrus to greet you. The change in the usually predictable rhythm throws you off enough to nod.

Within a blink you find yourself tied up in ropes.

_…!!! You fool!!! You doomed us both!_ Chara berates you.

“THIS IS GREAT NEWS! WONDERFUL NEWS!” Sans gushes in front of you. His eyelights shift into the shape of stars in his excitement. “TO THINK THAT I, THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT SANS, WOULD BE THE ONE TO CAPTURE ONE! MWEH HEH HEH! PAPPY IS GOING TO BE _SO_ IMPRESSED!”

Sans picks you up, making you yelp and flinch. He immediately pauses in his actions. “HUMAN. ARE YOU ALRIGHT? DID I HURT YOU? OH! THE ROPES MUST BE TOO TIGHT!” He cheerfully loosens the restraints with ease despite wearing gloves. The ropes fall off your wrists and onto the snow with an audible ‘thwump’. “THERE! IS THAT BETTER?”

Tentatively, you nod.

“GOOD! I’D HATE TO BE THE CAUSE OF SUCH DISCOMFORT TO SOMEONE STILL IN THEIR STRIPES!” Sans is back to smiles again as he scoops you up, more gently this time. “NOW LET’S HURRY! MY LAZYBONES BROTHER MUST BE LURKING AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE!”

You cling onto Sans as he runs around the area looking for his brother. You feel Chara’s caution toward Sans crumble completely as the skeleton continues to fuss over you over the smallest things. He also comically stuffs you behind every empty sentry station and conveniently shaped lamp or rock whenever another monster passes by.

_Wow, he sucks as a captor._ Chara comments dryly as he carelessly leaves you alone at his homemade station with a hasty “I’LL BE BACK SOON SO STAY THERE”. _We should run away while we have the chance._

You ignore Chara. Instead, you make yourself comfortable inside the station. While it’s only made of cardboard, it’s surprisingly resilient against the cold weather. What a cozy station.

You feel a bolt of irritation from Chara’s end after you settle down. _Hey, didn’t you hear me? We should run away!_

You continue to ignore them as you inspect the floor of the station. While this Sans appears put-together, the contents of his station is surprisingly messy. You pick through the half-finished crossword puzzles and a couple of puzzle blueprints to find – oh! A secret stash of ketchup packets! You decide to take one.

_Wait…_ You hear the realization slowly dawn on them. _Are you – **Are you actually ignoring me?!**_

You don’t dignify that with an answer.

“huh? what’cha doin’ in here, kiddo? don’t ya know this isn’t a place to play in?”

You nearly jump out of your skin when you hear the voice. Chara’s body automatically flinches when a skeletal hand reaches out to them. You force the body to relax when it only grips your sweater to carefully pull you out.

You come face-to-face with Papyrus. Instead of a battle body, this one is only armed with an orange hoodie and a pair of cargo shorts. You expected as much since this version of the Underground likes to swap around roles, but the cigarette held between his teeth is new.

A surge of distaste rushes through you at the sight of it. You know it’s not your own.

“nyeh?!” The cigarette falls out of Papyrus’ mouth as his eyes bug out comically.

***You slowly raise a hand and wave at Papyrus.**

Sans pops up right beside his brother, vibrating with excitement as he drinks in Papyrus’ expression. The stars in his eyes make a re-entrance.

“SURPRISE! LOOK WHAT I FOUND, PAPY! A HUMAN!”

“yeah, i can see that, bro. good job,” Papyrus says after composing himself. He sets you down carefully. “so, what happens now?”

Sans puffs up. “WELL. OBVIOUSLY, I WILL NOW CAPTURE THE HUMAN! YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, BROTHER!”

Papyrus starts to grin. “remind me again, bro?”

Sans pouts and stamps his foot. The picture this makes is just as cute as it sounds. “PAPY! OF ALL THE THINGS TO FORGET! THIS MEANS THAT YOU’LL HAVE TO STOP YOUR _BONE_ DONGLING AND HELP ME RECALIBRATE THE TRAPS!”

Papyrus makes a face. “can you _not_?”

Sans’ smile turns mischievous upon seeing his brother’s reaction to his words. “WHAT? DO YOU HAVE A _BONE_ TO PICK WITH MY PUNS, PAPY? AND HERE I THOUGHT NOTHING GETS _UNDER YOUR SKIN._ ”

“bro, _no_.”

“BRO, **YES**!”

As Papyrus continues to groan, Sans turns his attention back to you.

“HUMAN! PREPARE TO BE _RATTLED_ BY MY GENIUS! MWEH HEH HEH!”

* * *

You thought that you were just going to solve some more puzzles. You thought wrong.

You pant on the ground as you just barely managed to make it through the latest ‘trap’ that Sans had set up for you. It’s shaped more like an obstacle course. Aside from the strange trap that involved a frozen taco, going through all of them was a workout. Of course, you have a feeling that the ‘challenges’ are set up to be easier than it should have been for your own sake. Still, it’s a physically taxing after going through so many in such a short time period.

“peek-a-boo, kiddo.” Papyrus’ skull looms over you with a pair groucho glasses.

You automatically lash out, nearly hitting Papyrus. In any other situation, you would’ve laughed at the sight of a skeleton having eyes, a nose, and plastic facial hair. But not now when Chara’s body is acting on its own. When you’ve regained control over yourself, you’re already a good distance away from the taller skeleton.

Remorse immediately fills you for the near mistake. So far, this Papyrus has been nothing but helpful and funny to you.

“nyeheheh, that’s a pretty good hook you got there. almost took my head right off.” The joke glasses are gone. Papyrus’ stance is deceptively lazy as he stares at you. “still, you should hold off doing stuff like that to other monsters, yeah? they don’t dodge as good and hitting others isn’t exactly _nice._ ”

You flinch at the underlying accusation in his words, but you don’t defend yourself. How could you when you know exactly what he’s talking about? Despite your conscious efforts to hold Chara back during Encounters, they would leak through at the most unexpected moments. Your compliments and flirting turn into biting criticism and snappy comebacks. Your open hand of friendship would end up turning into a smack with a stick.

More monsters leave the Encounters with you in tears instead of smiles. It makes you want to yell at Chara for their pettiness. But you’re still ignoring them, so you don’t.

***You open your mouth to apologize, but –**

“So it’s all good and fine if they hit me?”

You’re in the backseat before you know it.

Chara glares up at Papyrus, who stiffens at the sudden personality shift.

“You know, I’m getting pretty sick of this “be nice and don’t hit others” crap. Why should I when all you monsters have been doing ever since I fell down here is trying to _kill me_?!” Frustrated tears start to well up their eyes. “But now _I’m_ the bad guy just because I’m protecting myself? It isn’t _fair._ ”

After roughly wiping their face, Chara begins to storm off, but they’re stopped when Papyrus grabs their arm.

“hey, wait a second-!”

The movement pulls the sleeve back and everything just…stops. Chara tenses and Papyrus stares. Since you were in such a hurry and so many things happened, you never looked at the skin beneath the sleeves. You knew that Chara’s body gained a few scrapes and burns from the previous Encounters but these wounds running down their wrists are too old and too repetitive to be careless mistakes. 

**“Don’t touch me!”**

Chara rips their arm from his grip and runs away. Papyrus doesn’t follow.

***You call out Chara’s name.**

_Oh, so **now** you’re talking to me? You’re no better than him. Actually? You’re worse! Ever since the beginning, you saw me as the villain that you have to protect all these **innocent** and **fragile** monsters from._

_Well, I don’t want to hear any more of it. So shut up and leave me alone._

* * *

***You tell Geno that you think you aren’t a good person.**

“don’t say that.”

***You argue that Chara was right about you. You had judged them before they have done anything simply because of preconceived notions.**

***You then ask Geno how he ever managed to be so kind when it came to you.**

“ah kid, you give me too much credit,” Geno chuckles, tugging at his scarf, “ _tibia_ honest, it wasn’t so hard since you’re a good kid. you showed me that so many times. i guess all i can tell you is to watch and see what they’ll do when you’re not interfering.”

***You tell Geno that you don’t want to risk other monsters getting hurt. You can’t control the power of SAVE and RELOAD, so it’s never assured that a death won’t be permanent.**

“don’t worry about that. i have some tricks up my sleeves too. what? you thought you’re the only one who can control time? it takes some effort, but I can RELOAD too.” Geno laughs at your expression. “surprised? well, i didn’t tell ya, so that’s fair.”

His grin takes a dangerous edge.

“don’t worry, kid. if chara ever starts to resemble the one i know the _slightest_ , we’ll just give ‘em a **b a d t i m e**. alright?”

* * *

This time around, you step back and let Chara control things.

They’re surprised at your sudden inactivity, but they don’t question it. Instead, they trudge forward on their own. While they struggle a bit with the occasional puzzle without your help, they’re surprisingly well suited for the obstacle courses with their act first and think later mindset.

Chara manages to make it through all of the challenges and stumbles into Snowdin. Even with their cautious nature, you feel how they are charmed by the atmosphere of the place and the cheerfulness of its residents.

You watch as Chara faces Sans right at the edge of Snowdin. You resist the urge to step in as they throw insults at him. Thankfully, Sans never takes them personally. He laughs every one of them off and cheerfully assures Chara that he can see very clearly that they want to be his friend.

Chara does their best. You’re impressed with how far they managed to come in the fight.

And yet, they eventually run out of monster food and their HP dips dangerously low. A desperate emotion tears through you as they stare helplessly at the next set of attacks sent at their way.

They’re scared, you realize. And yet, this entire time, they haven’t even attempted to hit Sans even once.

**HP 1/20**

…You really misjudged them.

You watch quietly as Chara collapses. You feel Sans catch them and fuss over their state as you both fade from consciousness.

* * *

“I’m…not dead?”

Chara wakes up in the shed. They’re tucked comfortably into the small bed in a way that’s familiar to you. You feel Chara’s throat tighten as they run their hand over the soft blankets.

***You tell Chara that Sans immediately stopped the battle when it’s clear that they couldn’t fight anymore.**

_…Really?_

***You tell Chara “yes” and, after a beat, you also apologize for how you treated them.**

_Why do you hate me so much?_

Their question makes you want to curl up in shame. Despite sharing a body, you never knew that’s how they felt.

***You insist that it’s not like that at all! You tell Chara that you don’t hate them and that if they’re willing to take the time to hear you out, you’ll explain.**

And you do. While you don’t reveal the entire picture, you tell them snippets of your situation **.** You focus mostly on your last adventure through the Underground since it’s the memories that they had accidentally dipped through. Since you have a feeling Geno is a private monster, you purposefully keep him out of your long-winded explanation.

Needless to say, Chara is completely mindblown. _Alternate Universes exist? That’s a thing?_

You…never saw it that way before. Huh. That’s something you should bring up to Geno the next time you wind up in the Save Screen.

_So, I’m evil in that world I saw?_

***You assert that the other Chara was misunderstood and misguided instead of evil. You also claim that Chara is not like them. You tell them that they are brave for sparing the monsters they met despite being in such a frightening situation.**

***You also add that you don’t think that you can do the same thing.**

_What makes you scared?_

You send them the sensations you felt when you were alone in that white space. You relay to them the constant feeling of losing important memories and parts of your identity. You’d rather die than return there. Chara shudders.

_That’s horrible. I don’t think anyone would willingly experience that again. You’re pretty brave too._

You and Chara mentally share a smile.

***You tell Chara that you would like to start over. As friends.**

_Yeah. That sounds nice._ Chara admits quietly. _Um. Hi. I’m Chara. It’s nice to meet you – God, I’m such an idiot. I never asked for your name._

***You make a joke – a pun about how neither of you had the _mind_ to _voice_ this very important fact – before properly introducing yourself. You tell Chara that you hope to work with them from now on.**

_Frisk,_ Chara repeats and you feel them smile. _Yeah, let’s work together from now on, partner._

* * *

**ACT:**

***Flirt *Insult**

***You flirt with Sans for the fourth time. This time, you throw in a pun about ketchups.**

“OH NO! YOU’RE MEETING ALL OF MY STANDARDS!” Sans wails from the sidelines dramatically, making Chara giggle as you dodge his attacks. It’s just as you thought. This Sans might be an energetic Royal Guard trainee, but he shares all Sanses’ adoration for ketchup and puns. “L-LET’S FLIRT LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU, OKAY?”

**ACT:**

***Flirt *Insult**

***You ask Sans why you two can’t just sit down and _taco_ ‘bout it.**

Sans gasped loudly. “YOU LIKE TACOS?! I’LL MAKE YOU SOME LATER, HUMAN! BUT FIRST! OUR BATTLE!”

You and Chara agree to let you handle the dodging for this Encounter since you’re more experienced with avoiding magical attacks. Because of your previous training with Geno and your countless battles with edgy Sans, you’ve managed to not lose a single HP in this battle so far.

“YOU’RE DOING SO MUCH BETTER THIS TIME, HUMAN!” Sans cheers. “NOW! EVEN THOUGH THAT DRATTED DOG RUINED MY _SPECIAL ATTACK_ , YOU CAN STILL EXPERIENCE MY _COMPLETELY NORMAL ATTACK!_ ”

_Let me try facing this one!_ Chara eagerly asked and you relent. Even if they get hit in this turn, you know that you have enough HP to make it until Sans runs out of steam.

You immediately regret the decision one second later when Sans jumps up and smashes his fists onto the ground, summoning an entire carpet of bones that doesn’t offer a single breathing space. Worse yet, a colossal bone attack appears right at the end of it.

***You tell Chara they don’t have to take over at this turn.**

_It’s okay! I can still do this Frisk!_

***(Chara’s insistence to face the intimidating attack head-on fills you both with Bravery.)**

Chara jumps as high and far as they can. They did not stop even as the colossal bone attack looms over them. Fueled by their bravery, they don’t veer away or hesitate. Instead, they somehow _rush_ right through the attack without taking any damage!

***(You have activated skill: SPEED! +2 ATK, +5 protection from attack as long as the SOUL continues to move.)**

“WOWZERS! THAT WAS AMAZING, HUMAN!” Sans praises Chara excitedly. “I NEVER KNEW YOU COULD DO THAT!”

“I never knew I could do that either,” Chara said breathlessly, staring at their own hands with awe.

After Sans Spares Chara, he opens the way to Waterfall. Of course, you and Chara decide to stay for the ‘date’ before moving forward. You and Chara had fun. Even if you had to swallow down many poorly made tacos and get dumped, you and Chara still left the house completely stuffed with food and with a new friend!

“hey, kid, wait.”

Chara freezes at the sound of Papyrus’ voice. They turn and, well, there he is. It shouldn’t have been so surprising since this is also his house. Papyrus looks down at Chara with an unreadable expression before it changes into something softer and remorseful.

“how about something to bite at muffet’s? my treat.”

* * *

Chara orders a Spider Cider and sits in awkward silence next to Papyrus. They stay silent even as the orders come in, carried in by Muffet herself. You stay in the backseat the entire time.

As he drizzles an entire bottle of honey over his Spider Donut, Papyrus finally speaks. “want some honey in that cider, kiddo?” Chara shakes their head, eyeing the mess of the donut on Papyrus’ plate judgmentally. He shrugs with a “suit yourself” and proceeds to down the entire bottle.

After Papyrus finishes up the bottle, he turns back to Chara. “i should’ve said this sooner, but thanks for playing along with my brother. you made sans pretty happy today. you even befriended him. so…thanks.”

“Sans is pretty cool. He would’ve gotten bunches of friends even without me,” Chara mutters as they hide their expression behind their cup. The cider runs down warm and comforting down their throat when they take a long sip.

Chara blinks in surprise when Papyrus gives them a beaming smile.

“nyeheheh, he _is_ pretty cool, isn’t he? he’s just the best. best big bro in the world.” He snickers at Chara’s shocked expression. “what? you thought _i_ was the big bro here? nah, it might not look it, but he’s been looking after me ever since i was babybones.”

Papyrus’ cheer suddenly dips down into something more solemn. “bro didn’t raise me to be the type of monster who’s too prideful to admit when he’s wrong. i’m sorry for what i said back there, kiddo. you didn’t deserve any of that. and i’m sorry for grabbing your arm. must’ve scared ya, huh?”

Chara rubs at their wrists self-consciously. “You’re not smoking,” they deflect.

Papyrus shrugs casually, “sans always throws a fit about the cigarette smell, so i thought, why not try stopping now?”

You and Chara know that’s not the real reason. You think back to the wounds under Chara’s sleeves. There are cuts, yes, but there are also _burns_. You wonder who would be so cruel to inflict that kind of torture onto another person.

_Adults, that’s who,_ Chara remarks cuttingly. They immediately regret lashing out and apologize. _Sorry Frisk. I just…I don’t want to talk about it…_

***You tell Chara that you understand.**

Your mental conversation with Chara gets abruptly cut off when Temmie suddenly appears right at Chara’s face. They jerk back so quickly that they almost fall off of their stool. “What the - !”

“hey, hey,” Papyrus soothes, immediately pulling the doll back so Chara could see it better, “it’s okay. it’s just a temmie doll. see?” He squeezes it, making it squeak out a familiar “hOI!”

“she’s pretty popular with all the kids down here so i thought…well, it doesn’t matter. i scared you again. sorry.”

Chara slowly calms down. Looking closer, you realize that there are some minor differences with the doll in Papyrus’ hand and the one you and Chara encountered in the beginning. For one, this one looks more manufactured while the other looks more worn and handmade. Chara, also realizing this, cautiously reach out and poke the doll.

“kiddo,” Papyrus says a little weakly, “please tell me you know what a doll is.”

“I know!” Chara insists defensively. “I’m not stupid! It’s just that…the last time I saw this thing, she tried to kill me!”

Instead of scoffing at Chara’s claim, Papyrus’ gaze suddenly sharpens with attention. “tried to kill you, you say? did she talk too?” At Chara’s nod, the skeleton hums. “sans spoke about meeting something similar not too long ago. he said that she was a friend, but i always thought that it was shady that she could always tell the future. guess i was right. i’ll keep an eyesocket out for that thing.” Then, he pauses and regretfully begins to pull the temmie doll back. “guess this gift was really in poor taste, huh?”

***You tell Chara that they should accept the doll. It’s obviously an apology present.**

“W-Wait!” Chara cries out and snatches the doll back. “Who said I didn’t want the friendship doll? It’s mine now so you can’t take it back just ‘cause you changed your mind!” They hug it protectively, eliciting another obnoxious “hOI” as they do so.

How cute. You don’t really feel guilty for thinking it even as Chara sends you a wave of indignation at your way since Papyrus obviously thinks so too, judging by his expression.

He covers his face with his hands. “geez, i really, really misjudged you. ‘friendship doll’, how cute can you get?”

Chara flushes and hops off of their stool, making their escape. “I’m going to Waterfall now. Bye.” Papyrus laughs and tries to follow, only to be stopped by six hands.

Muffet giggles behind her hand, eyes flashing dangerously behind her glasses. One of her hands holds up the check. “Ahuhuhu, Papyrus dearie~ aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Right. Muffet, you can put it on my tab. I promise to pay it later – nyeh!” Papyrus begins to flail as the spider monster’s grip tightens. It seems she won’t be taking no for an answer today. Chara ignores the taller skeleton’s plight and makes their way out of the bakery.

Right when Chara steps out of the door, something white and fluffy barrels into them, causing them to fall over.

“Oh golly, are you okay? I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there!”

Chara accepts their proffered paw and gets back up to their feet. They send quizzical waves at you when they feel your shock at the sight of the monster’s appearance.

***You can’t believe it…it’s –**

“Howdy! You’re new around here, right? My name’s Asriel!”

* * *

“Hey, Chara! Look over here! Look over here!” Asriel gestures Chara over to check out whatever has caught his attention. Chara eagerly follows after him. As an apology for knocking them over, Asriel volunteered himself as their guide throughout Waterfall. You have to admit that he makes a great tour guide. His gentle nature and his knowledge on the most interesting parts of the Underground managed to get through Chara’s emotional walls.

It’s strange to see Asriel alive and well. And also, not a talking flower.

_Wait…a talking flower? This fluffy boy? You’re not really pulling my leg, are you Frisk?_

As if summoned by your mental conversation, a golden flower with a cartoonish face pops up right in front of Chara. “Howdy!” It crows cheerfully. Chara jumps out of their skin while Asriel smiles happily at the flower. “Look, Chara! It’s a Flowey! It’s strange to see one so far away from its village. Hm? What’s wrong, Chara?”

Chara slowly looks from Asriel to Flowey and then back to Asriel before shaking their head. “It’s nothing…”

“Well, okay! Anyways, we’re getting really close to the Lab!” Asriel gushes excitedly. “I hear that _Napstaton_ is going to be there! He’s currently filming his Homecoming Tour around Waterfall. If we’re fast enough, we might even be able to meet him face-to-face!”

As Asriel continues to gush about the robot celebrity, a lone statue catches Chara’s eye. While the rest of the pathway is dry, the poor thing was being drizzled on. You recall a vague memory and you ask Chara to briefly switch over. Intrigued, they step back.

You stop Asriel after you pick out a red umbrella from the bin. “Huh, what is it, Chara?”

***You tell Asriel that you want to try something before moving on.**

Asriel tilts his head to the side rather adorably. “Try something? Well, okay! Can I help?”

Instead of answering him, you walk back.

***(You place the umbrella atop the statue. Inside the statue, a music box begins to play…)**

With that done, you give the control back to Chara. They listen to the pretty tune. They don’t notice Asriel silently coming up beside them. Chara balks when they realize that the young goat monster is crying. “H-Hey, what’s wrong with you? Don’t cry! Do you want me to stop the music? Is that it?”

“I remember now…this used to be their memorial…”

Asriel trails off before wiping his tears with a self-depreciating smile. “I’m being such a crybaby. I’m sorry, Chara. I - I need some time alone right now. You can go first without me. I’ll catch up with you. Promise.”

Though they don’t understand what’s going on, Chara respects Asriel’s wishes and silently moves on forward.

***(When you finally reach your destination, you stand in the shadows of the Lab. It intimidates you both, yes, but you are too De ~~termined~~ to turn back now. So, you decide to move forward without Asriel.)**

***(You are filled with Bravery.)**

* * *

**UNDYNE updated status.**

*shout-out to my friend naps and his televised tour! we’re happy to see you back home!

*(Along with the post, there’s a picture of Undyne and Napstablook smiling at the camera.)

**UNDYNE updated status.**

*can you all BELIEVE this?! the sequel to wan wan punch heroes is such a disappointment. they focused too much on making it dark and gritty. anti-heroes are sooooo overrated! negative 100 out of 5 stars.

**UNDYNE updated status.**

*wait. there’s a human. oh my god, there’s a human.

**UNDYNE updated status.**

*oh thank god, the royal guard caught them. kudos to the skeleton brothers for being so quick! @papyrus you’re doing a great job, bestie!

**UNDYNE updated status.**

*???

*why is the human coming over to waterfall? weren’t the skeleton brothers taking care of them?

*wait. oh no.

**UNDYNE updated status.**

*(At the beginning of the post, there is a blurry selfie of Sans with Undyne in the background giving Papyrus a noogie. Papyrus appears resigned about his position.)

*RIP @papyrus @SANS both of you have served the underground well. i’m going to miss you both.

**PAPYRUS replied to post.**

*stop telling people im dead.

*(It’s unread.)

**ROYAL SCIENTIST updated status.**

*citizens of waterfall, please evacuate the area, especially those attending the NTT tour & concert! there’s a human! beginning to activate emergency protocols!

*(This message has been completely buried by the many Napstaton advertisements)

**UNIODINE messaged BLOOKY in group chat (access to the chat granted by BLOOKY)**

UNIODINE: naps what the heck

BLOOKY: sorry. naps is busy right now. call me l8r

UNIODINE: this is a GROUP CHAT and i KNOW u know what im talking about u butt

UNIODINE: this is serious naps. you took the human with you. do you really value your dumb concert more than the safety of the underground???

UNIODINE: naps? are you even reading this?

UNIODINE: HEY!

UNIODINE: goddammit, you leave me no choice, naps

**ROYAL SCIENTIST updated status.**

***** because of some technical difficulties, some old puzzles and security will be temporarily reactivated for testing. apologies for the inconvenience.

Chara sets down the phone Napstaton updated for them with a sigh. They’ve never had a social media account before, and they regret having one now. Who would’ve thought stalking someone online is so exhausting?

_This is a mess…_

***You admit that things didn’t quite go as you planned, but it could’ve been worse.**

_Oh yeah,_ Chara agrees easily, _if we didn’t have that NTT backstage pass on us, who knows what could’ve happened?_

You think back to how Undyne had reacted when Chara walked through the lab doors. She was scared enough to throw her spears first and ask later. It was only thanks to Napstaton’s unlikely entrance that Chara managed to make it out of the lab alive. Now, the robot is dragging Chara around Waterfall in the pretense that they’re a ‘special guest’ in the show.

While Undyne is relentless in trying to capture Chara for the “safety of monsterkind”, Napstaton is just as stubborn in ensuring their safety. Not only does he admire humans in general, but Chara had also befriended his cousin in the Ruins. Yeah, that’s right, Happstablook told him _all_ about the ‘adorable, tsundere human who’s just darling’.

“Yo! Take a look at this!” Napstaton wheels into Chara’s space out of nowhere, making them jump. They look down at the phone in the robot’s hand and tilt their head quizzically. “…Er, nice numbers?”

“Ratings, little dude! They’re the ratings for our Live Tour! It’s the highest it’s ever gotten, and _you_ are the one who helped me make it happen!” He hugs Chara enthusiastically. They give Napstaton’s square back an awkward pat before quickly retreating. You give the other human a mental thumbs up. Chara really did work hard on paying Napstaton back for saving their skin by helping out in the show.

Napstaton wheels back before giving a metallic cough.

“So, I’ve been thinkin’…why don’t we make this a thing? It’s hard doin’ this fame thing alone, ya know? You can stay here and continue performing with me! We’ll be the hope for monsterkind!” He fiddles with his cap. “What’cha think?”

***Chara doesn’t want to hurt Napstaton’s feelings, but they don’t want to lie to him either. So, with your quiet encouragement, they decide to be BRAVE and reject his offer.**

“Sorry, but the life of fame just isn’t for me. I hope you understand.”

Napstaton doesn’t understand.

Turns out, he’s not very good with rejection. And, to rub the salt on the metaphorical wound, the entire interaction had been filmed live, which made it all the more humiliating for him. Chara ends up being pulled into another fight.

Even though Napstaton pulled out his new, human-like model to forcefully make Chara stay Underground, both of you end up victorious.

“heh…heh…I guess you’re leaving me behind too, huh?” Napstaton asks bitterly after losing both his legs and his arms. “Ever since I got this body, this is always happening…Undyne…Happy…everyone’s leaving me behind. Soon enough, my fans are going too. I mean, look at how high the ratings became ever since you came along. When you leave, they’ll leave too.”

“Now that’s absurd, Blooky!”

While normally shy on stage, Happstablook immediately set Napstaton’s insecurities straight with some choice words and a phone. They showed him how much the Underground loved and cherished him with all the messages posted by the fans.

“No matter what, Blooky, there’s always someone out there who cares about you. _I_ care about you. I’m so sorry for making you think otherwise.”

“Oh no….oh nooooo,” Napstaton begins to cry as his cousin hugs him tight until he slowly runs out of power. Happstablook assures Chara that he’s fine when they panic.

“Thank you, darling. You managed to help me get through to my silly cousin,” Happstablook tells them gratefully. “Don’t worry about us. I think we’re going to be just fine from here on out.”

_No good deed goes unpunished,_ Chara later tells you bitterly after they leave Waterfall for Hotland. You can’t help but agree. Seeing Napstaton’s state after rushing in, Undyne immediately blamed Chara for hurting her friend. She had bitterly claimed that while _she_ can’t do anything since she had to look after Napstaton, _Alphys_ would take care of them.

***You tell Chara that Undyne will eventually see that they aren’t bad, just like you. Chara is good, you insist.**

Chara smiles. “Yeah,” they say, “thanks, Frisk.”

* * *

“You were on TV! With _Napstaton_!” Asriel gushes at Chara’s side. “Aww, I can’t believe I missed all of that!”

“It’s…really not as great as it seems. All that attention was pretty stressful,” Chara tells him honestly. Meanwhile, you hang back in Chara’s mind, content with how comfortable your partner is with the gentle monster. You had felt their relief and happiness when they reunited with Asriel in Hotland. Despite the short time of knowing each other, you can tell that Chara is already very fond of Asriel. They play around in Hotland, seeing interesting sights as Asriel leads them around.

Of course, not everything is completely fine. Just as Undyne had threatened, Captain Alphys is indeed hot on Chara’s trail along with the rest of the Royal Guard forces. You have no doubt that the Royal Scientist had warned her of Chara’s existence. Thankfully, Asriel is surprisingly very skilled at evading all the guards – especially the Captain herself.

Still, it’s beginning to get harder and harder to avoid Alphys. And if Asriel continues to help Chara out, he might get into trouble. Or worse, he’d find out that they are a human and reject them out of fear.

A shudder runs through Chara’s body at the thought.

_I don’t want that to happen!_

“…hey, Chara? Is there something wrong?” Asriel, ever sensitive to the emotions of others. He takes their hand. “Are you tired? Do you need to sit down?”

***You feel Chara’s fear of being rejected by someone they considered a friend. They’ve been misunderstood and hurt so many times. You tell them that it’s fine to be afraid of rejection. They don’t have to force themselves to reveal something so sensitive just yet.**

_But isn’t hiding the truth from Asriel hurting him?_ Chara asks you. _I don’t want our friendship to be based on a lie. It’s better that I tell him right now than him finding out later from someone else. Besides, **I’m** the reason why both of us have to run and hide like criminals._

***(Chara is filled with Bravery.)**

“Asriel…I need to tell you something.”

“I’m a human,” Chara confesses, looking down. “Sorry for hiding this from you. If you don’t want to play with me anymore, that’s fine.”

Asriel’s eyes soften as he squeezes Chara’s hand. “Chara, I already know that.”

_…What?_

***(The fact that Asriel has wholeheartedly accepted Chara as a friend despite knowing they are human fills you with De ~~termination~~.)**

“HEY! You PUNK! Get away from him!” A sharp voice shouts, shattering the moment. Captain Alphys stands a few yards away from the two children, completely incensed. Magic begins to gather around her, filling you and Chara with panic. While she’s small in stature, Chara has long since learned to fear her large axe attacks.

“Run, Chara! RUN! I’ll hold her back!” Asriel shouts, stepping right in front of them.

Chara hesitates for one moment out of concern for their friend.

Within a blink, they get an axe to the chest, shattering their soul.

* * *

You decide to take a break.

It’s been a while since Chara managed to have their soul shattered so you haven’t been to the Save Screen for a while. Geno tells you he’s more than happy to have you around again. He’s even _more_ happy to see the treats you had saved up for him during your journey. The ketchup packets were a hit.

“alternate universes?” Geno repeats thoughtfully when you present Chara’s theory to him. “that…actually makes a lot of sense.” You can see that he’s trying not to be annoyed that a child came to the conclusion faster than he did. “and it ties into my most recent theory about why the last two jumps didn’t immediately bring you to my timeline. the soul that chara has is bravery, right? and the kid before that was kindness. i’m betting that after you finish up this run, the next jump is going to tie you to a different soul trait.”

***You realize: “Seven souls, seven universes.”**

“exactly. and i think i know which universe has the determination soul. wanna guess?”

* * *

After the next reload, Chara doesn’t hesitate in fleeing. You also keep your eyes on Alphy’s axes just in case you need to jump in to dodge. These things are one-hit killers and you preferred to go a little farther before dying again.

Asriel keeps true to his promise and Chara quickly escapes.

***(The idea of solving all the puzzles and hiding from the Royal Guardsmen without Asriel’s help might be a little daunting to Chara, but your encouragement fills them with Bravery.)**

Chara moves forward and faces their challenges as they have always done, which is head on. You help, doing your best to apply what you remember from the last run into this situation.

Chara catches sight of a food stand, set up innocuously in the middle of nowhere. You react with excitement when you see the vendor. Grillby! Even though he’s wearing pastel colors and a bow tie, you’d recognize the fire elemental from anywhere!

You immediately inform Chara that his burgers are to _die_ for. Chara’s stomach makes a desperate gurgle at your memories of eating them with the other Sans. They quickly make their way over to buy a meal.

“All proceeds go to elementals” the sign above the menu reads. For some reason, the phrasing reminds you of something.

Chara’s smile falls when they see the price of the food.

_Not enough G for this,_ they grumble to you as they turn away in disappointment. _What a rip-off! I can’t even buy the ketchup bottle and it’s the cheapest thing on the menu!_

***You share Chara’s disappointment.**

“Sorry, I can’t afford any of these,” Chara apologizes to the vendor. “But you really shouldn’t overprice your food,” they can’t help but add grumpily.

It was a mistake for them to say that, you realize later on. A very big mistake.

* * *

Geno is in stitches on the floor of the Save Screen.

“burgers,” he wheezes, “you got taken out by grillbz’ burgers. guess _meating_ him without enough g was a mis- _steak_ , huh?” He descends into another round of cackling.

***You are completely unimpressed with Geno’s puns. You ask him if he’s done.**

“nope! I’m on a _roll_ , kid! i mean, it’s such a sur- _fries_ that he was able to take you out so quickly…but i guess that’s what you get for going against _fast food._ better _ketchup_ to his speed if you want to move forward.”

***You tell Geno no burgers for him.**

“okay, okay, i’ll stop. swear it.”

* * *

While you would have preferred to avoid fighting Grillby again, you have no choice since Chara had unintentionally Saved mid-battle during a spurt of Bravery. You and Chara work hard to pull through the Fight. You both end up dying many more times despite your efforts. It gets to the point that you’re tempted to just _eat_ your way through the attacks since they make it so hard to dodge in the first place.

Chara’s Speed ability ends up being your saving grace.

After it’s all over and done with, Chara swears up and down that they’ll never be rude to food vendors ever again.

“wow, kiddo, you smell like campfire and burgers. did ya piss off some elemental or something?”

To your surprise, Chara nearly cries in relief when they see Papyrus. You can tell Papyrus is surprised too, judging by the hang-jaw look on his skull when Chara glomps him. “It was horrible,” they whine into his hoodie, “everyone hasn’t stopped trying to kill me and I haven’t eaten in _hours_.”

Papyrus gives their head a sympathetic pat. Within only a few stops, he whisks them off to a strange cafeteria. After seating them, he gives Chara a wink. “i know a couple of shortcuts around the underground. lemme get you a plate.” He does so within a blink. “it’s not gourmet food or anything, but it’ll fill up your stomach.”

As Chara inhales all of the food in front of them, Papyrus sits down on the other side. He waits patiently until Chara wipes the tray clean. “good?”

“Fantastic,” Chara says and they mean it, “where are we anyways?”

“the royal guard hq’s cafeteria,” Papyrus tells them casually, timing his answer just as Chara begins to drink. They choke. “don’t worry. this place is practically empty since everyone’s all out lookin’ for a human in a striped sweater. crazy, right?”

“Jerk.”

“aww, no need for name-calling. i got you food, didn’t i? well, technically it’s _sans’_ food since a meal plan is included for all members of the royal guard. still.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“you _do_ know my bro’s a royal guardsman…right?”

Chara begins to stammer. “I thought that – But you – well, Sans kept saying that he needed to prove himself back in Snowdin so I assumed he wasn’t.”

Papyrus snickers. “don’t let sans know that. to make things clear, he’s a junior member of the guard. he wants to prove himself to the captain that he’s good enough to be a full-fledged member. honestly, if she wasn’t so hung up over his low hp, he would’ve been a high ranked guard with his skills. you saw how good he was when you fought, right? well bro was holdin’ back big time on ya.”

“Wow…”

“okay,” Papyrus claps his hands, “now, onto the more serious part.”

Suddenly, the air around Chara turns heavy and solemn.

“you will be judged.”

Chara stiffens at the words. Papyrus stares impassively back.

“you will be judged for your every action. you will be judged for every exp you’ve earned. and…i say that you pass with flying colors. congrats, you didn’t kill anybody.”

Contradictory to Chara’s relief to Papyrus’ verdict, you feel a surge of indignation. You don’t know why you feel so strongly about it, but you do.

“…what? you look confused, kiddo. didja expect me to say this differently? maybe…a little more official-like? well, you wouldn’t be wrong. but i decided to keep it real casual for today. don’t’cha feel special?”

Papyrus’ expression softens.

“you know, when the old man on the other side of the door told me to look after a human child when they left the ruins, i never expected that human to be as brave and merciful as you revealed yourself to be during your time underground. you’re not as bad as your think you are. the truth is, you’re not bad at all. you’re a good kid.”

***(Chara begins to cry. But they’re good tears. Papyrus had just told them something they’ve been wanting to hear for a long time. The words fill them with Bravery.)**

“nyeheheh, i believe in you, kiddo. remember that.”

* * *

***You tell Chara that you’re proud of them.**

_Stopit,_ they whine mentally as they try not to tear up, _I’ve gotten enough of that from Pap. Don’t you start too!_

You decide not to push them any further since they’re still inside the Royal Guard HQ. While Papyrus had been completely right about it being significantly emptied out because of the manhunt, you’re still worried that someone might come back and catch sight of Chara.

To your relief, no one stops them as they safely make their way out of the building.

“Chara! You’re safe!”

Chara finds themselves with an armful of fluffy goat. Asriel tearfully recounted how he tried to find them all over Hotland after stalling Alphys. “To think that you were in the HQ the entire time!”

“Yeah, sorry for making you worry.” Chara looks up. They are immediately intimidated by the metal structure across the bridge. It looms over the two of them ominously. “What’s that?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know about the CORE. Hehe, well, don’t worry! Your best friend Asriel will tell you! It’s what powers the entire Underground. Since it’s so important, the Royal Guard HQ is built right next to it to make sure it’s protected and maintained. It’s tradition that’s been set up ever since the previous Royal Scientist, River, made the CORE.”

“What connection did the previous Royal Scientist have with the Guard to make a decision like that? I mean, shouldn’t the Lab be near here instead?” Chara asks, genuinely confused by the entire arrangement. “Was the Scientist, like friends with the Captain of the Royal Guard at that time or something?”

Asriel opens his mouth to speak. You and Chara see that they answer was right at the tip of his tongue before his eyes blank out. “Umm…I don’t know. No one really remembers who the Captain was, honestly.”

_…?_

***You share Chara’s confusion.**

“Well, whatever! It’s boring history stuff anyways!” Asriel laughs it off as he leads Chara further across the bridge. “Watch your step!” He warns them. Chara looks down and gulps. It’s so dark down there. You can hear Chara wondering whether if there’s even a bottom to the drop.

“Hey! You HUMAN PUNK!” Chara jumps when they hear the familiar, grating voice of the Captain of the Royal Guard. Alphys’ scar over her eye stretches as she snarls at them. “Get away from our prince!”

Chara stares blankly back at Alphys.

“Prince?” They parrot.

_Frisk? Is what that crazy dino lady saying true?_

***…You express your embarrassment for forgetting to relay that fact to Chara. To your defense, his identity as a talking flower took precedence to everything else.**

“Don’t play dumb! You’ve tricked our Prince Asriel into becoming your hostage!” Alphys continues to accuse loudly. She brandishes her axe threateningly. “You might pretend you’re all nice and stuff, but Undyne’s told me _all_ about you!”

As Alphys takes a single, threatening step, Asriel immediately steps in front of you. “W-Wait! Alphys, stop! Chara didn’t trick me! They’re a good human! Honest! Don’t hurt them!”

Alphys falters for a moment at the goat monster’s plea, before hardening her resolve. “Prince Asriel, even if that is so, this human is the only thing standing in between the freedom of our people! Human! See what happens if you take one more step in my direction! I’ll take your head right off!”

“Chara is my BEST FRIEND!” Asriel shouts as he takes another step.

He slips.

Asriel yelps as he barely catches himself on the ledge. You, Chara, and Alphys all share a moment of complete horror before Chara snaps themselves out of their shock to ACT. They scramble right over to the edge and grab onto Asriel’s paws. Alphys’ heavy footsteps shake the bridge, making them both freeze. She’s close. So close that she could throw her axe and take Chara’s soul. Chara recalls Alphys’ threat and shudders.

**ACT:**

***Let go *Hold on**

Asriel’s sniffles turns Chara’s hyper focus on the Captain. “Chara…” he warbles, “yo-you can go ahead without me, okay? I’ll be – I’ll be fine!”

***(It’s not even a choice, is it? _Of course_** _,_ **Chara wasn’t going to let go and leave Asriel behind. With a burst of Bravery, they dig their heels down as they start hefting him back up.)**

Despite his brave words, Asriel immediately breaks down crying after Chara brings him back to safety.

“You crybaby, what’re you crying for?” Chara scolds. “You made it. You’re okay.”

“I was s-so sc-scared!”

“For what? I was never going to let go, idiot. You’re my _best friend_ , remember? No way am I letting go of that.”

Alphys makes no move to break the two apart. To your surprise, she even takes a few steps back to give them a little more space. The expression on her face is completely unreadable as she watches them.

Asriel continues to cry into Chara’s shoulder for a long time.

* * *

“Okay, Punk, I have to admit, what you did back there was pretty heroic and cool.”

After Asriel had calmed down, Alphys briskly whisked Chara away into the CORE. They were completely convinced that the Captain was going to immediately execute them the moment they were out of Asriel’s sight. Surprisingly, Alphys did not do that. Instead, she brought Chara into the highest floor inside the CORE.

“So, I’m going to offer you a one-time chance. Behind me is the path to where the Queen is. Not only that, the barrier. If you want to pass, fight me one-on-one! No more of that ‘running away’ schtick!”

***(Filled to the brim with Bravery, Chara accepts the challenge.)**

* * *

You and Chara die. You and Chara die many times.

Still, both of you continue to face Alphys head-on.

“Give up already! Don’t you know that the entire Underground’s hope lies on your soul?”

You dodge another attack sent by Alphys while Chara desperately shuffles through the different ACTions to choose from. _C’mon, there has to be **something** in here that’ll make her change her mind about us!_ Chara mutters to themselves.

If you weren’t busy dancing away from Alphys’ many attacks, you would’ve taken the time to fully appreciate how much Chara has grown from their initial “hit or be hit” mindset. They’re really trying their best to reach a peaceful resolution, huh? You’re going to try your best too.

Finally, Chara comes up with a solution after rifling through your memories of the Alphys during your last run (with your permission).

**ACT:**

***Challenge *Cry**

***Compliment *Fake Hit**

“You know, I can see why Sans looks up to you. You kinda look like those heroes in an anime that I used to watch,” Chara calls out in between breaths.

Alphys’ attacks stall for a brief moment. “R-Really? I mean – psh, of course! I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard!”

***You admire Chara’s capability to enhance an ACTion by adding in things that might raise your opponent’s favorability rate. You encourage them to continue with the anime references.**

**ACT:**

***THE Anime *Fake Hit**

“I know it might be a stretch, but have you ever watched Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?”

You and Chara pray for a miracle.

Thankfully, it comes. Chara’s question opens the floodgates as Alphys briefly puts down her axe to excitedly ramble about the plot of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. The Captain expresses even more excitement when Chara mentions the scene with the snail ice cream – a tidbit that your memories had given them.

“Right? Right? Isn’t it the best? I’m so glad that you also – no wait! I need to focus! You’re someone I need to defeat!”

You notice that her voice has a slight tremor to it and decide to take action for the next turn. Chara steps aside and looks on curiously as you make your move.

**ACT:**

***Anime *Belief**

***Fake Hit**

***You ask Alphys if she believes this is the right thing to do.**

“Argh! So what if I don’t believe? I need to do this! Everyone else is counting on me and I don’t want to let ‘em down!”

The insecurity and vulnerability that the normally gruff monster is showing in front of you immediately makes you sympathetic to her plight. Being the Captain really can be a huge weight.

Chara, on the other hand, thinks differently.

**ACT:**

***Tough Love *Fake Hit**

“Well, that’s not going to cut it! If you’re going to kill me, do it wholeheartedly! Don’t half-ass it like a wimp! Come at me with the best you got!”

“Yeah…” Alphys’ attacks begin to renew with a new sort of vigor. To your surprise, Chara retains control and dodges on their own. “Okay! Since it’ll be disrespectful to not give it my all in this fight, I’ll do my best to take you down!”

Chara manages to use SPEED three consecutive times to avoid getting hit by the barrage. Still, they manage to give Alphys a thumbs up. “Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”

***(You have activated skill: CHEER! +3 healing after a no-hit turn.)**

An orange light envelops Chara. You feel their HP rising.

Chara smiles and continues to CHEER for Alphys as she slowly becomes more and more exhausted. Her armor is heavy and she’s overexerting herself. But she doesn’t notice until it’s too late.

You know it’s Chara’s victory when Alphys collapses.

* * *

“Urgh, even without her armor, Alphys is _heavy_ ,” Chara complains as they carry Alphys through Hotland. “How can someone so small weigh so much?”

Asriel supports the Captain’s other side. “I think it’s the muscles. Oh, here it is!”

Chara stops in front of a house. Just as your Undyne’s house looked like a fish, this house is shaped like a lizard. It even has a cute tail and everything. When Chara enters, they nearly drop Alphys in shock at the girly and anime-esque interior. They know that Alphys liked anime, but…wow.

After Chara and Asriel get Alphys onto a couch, Asriel turns to them with a serious expression on his face. “Hey, Chara? You want to cross the barrier and go back home, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“But you don’t want to kill any monster while doing so.”

Chara shakes their head. “Never!” You see a brief but horrifying memory of Asgore dusting in front of them before they shake their head again.

Asriel looks down sadly. “I’m sorry, Chara. That’s…that’s not possible. If you want to cross the barrier, you will need a human _and_ monster soul to cross it. Despite the strength of a human soul, it’s not enough to cross the barrier alone. I know that fact more than anyone else.”

He looks down.

“I lost a lot of important people. I don’t…I don’t want to lose you _or_ mom too, Chara.”

“Have faith in me, Asriel. I promise, I’ll find a way that doesn’t involve _anyone_ dying.”

* * *

_I have no idea how to do that Frisk help –_

Chara’s meltdown takes you by surprise when they stop at the entrance of the Royal Guard HQ. They’d been so calm and sure when they comforted Asriel, so you’d assumed that they found out the solution on their own. Now, looking at them, you realize that they were bluffing. Completely and utterly.

Before you can calm them down and assure them that everything is going to be fine, Chara’s attention is grabbed by an excited and familiar shout of “HUMAN! IT’S BEEN SO LONG!” before they’re engulfed into a hug.

Chara winces at the unintentional manhandling. Sans immediately releases them and fusses over their wounds, most notedly the gash on their right arm from one of Alphys’ attacks that hadn’t completely healed over.

“MWEH! YOU’RE WORSE THAN OUR CAPTAIN ALPHYS IN CARELESSNESS, HUMAN! EVEN THOUGH SPARS ARE FUN, YOU SHOULD REALLY TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!” Sans takes off his trademark, blue bandana and ties it around Chara’s wound. “THERE! NOW YOU’RE NOT LEAKING UNNECCESARILY!”

“Hey, wait! My blood’s going to ruin it!” Chara tries to warn the cheerful skeleton as they begin to take it off. Sans stops them immediately.

“THE MAGNIFICENT SANS HAS MANY MORE! NO WORRIES, MY FRIEND!” He assures them with a starry-eyed beam.

Much to Chara’s embarrassment, after hearing where they’re heading, Sans takes it onto himself to _carry_ Chara to their destination since they’re tired and injured. He once again pretends to be deaf to Chara’s fervent refusals and begins to make his way through of the HQ.

“You’re such a mother hen!” Chara complains loudly, though you notice that their struggles had lessened significantly by that point. Sans has reached the exit of the HQ by then. He grins down at them. “MWEH HEH HEH, I AM THE MOST _EGG_ -CELENT MOTHER HEN, HUMAN, AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT! EVEN IF IT _RUFFLES YOUR FEATHERS,_ I’LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU REACH YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY.”

“Why are you helping me so much anyways?” Chara grumbles, crossing their arms. “You’re part of the Royal Guard.”

“A JUNIOR MEMBER,” Sans corrects almost immediately, “HARDLY A NOTABLE POSITION IN THE _PECKING_ ORDER OF THE ROYAL GUARD.” Though he’s made a joke, you hear an underlying hint of frustration in his words. Chara catches it too. “BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IT’S BECAUSE MY DUTY IS ONLY TO PROTECT THE WEAK AND THE DEFENSELESS. AND, WHILE YOU ARE BY NO MEANS EITHER OF THOSE THINGS, YOU ARE STILL A CHILD.”

Chara stares at Sans for a long moment before asking “Why don’t the other monsters see it that way?” It comes out smaller and shakier than they intended. “Why doesn’t the _Queen_ see it that way? You said something about stripes when we first met. Asriel told me that all monster children wear stripes. So why…?”

“…THOUGH HER ACTIONS SEEM TO CONTRADICT THIS, HER MAJESTY ALSO VALUES THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN. WHY, SHE CHERISHES HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ASRIEL VERY MUCH! BUT…” Sans winces “HER LOVE FOR HER ONLY SURVIVING CHILD ALSO MAKES HER FEARFUL OF LOSING HIM TOO. IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE TRAGEDY FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, QUEEN TORIEL DECIDED THAT NO OTHER MONSTER SHOULD ATTEMPT GATHERING SOULS BY FUSING WITH ONE HUMAN SOUL AND CROSSING THE BARRIER. INSTEAD, WE WAIT FOR HUMANS TO FALL. MONSTERS HAVE GROWN…DESPERATE.”

Desperate enough to not care if the human is a child. What is one child compared to the freedom of an entire race? Chara wilts as they come to the same conclusion.

***You briefly leave the backseat to speak to Sans. You ask him to tell you about the tragedy.**

“IT IS NOT A HAPPY STORY.”

“I want to hear it anyways,” Chara demands, back in the front seat. Their curiosity sears into you to the point that you feel as if it’s your own…even though you know the general structure of the story.

And it is. As Sans ventures past the CORE and into the interior of New Home, he begins to tell the story about the first fallen child, who was found by the young prince and the ward of the royal family. He talked about the happiness and the hope that the pacifistic human brought to the Underground. But then, a tragic accident happened. In his grief, the ward took it upon himself to cross the barrier to collect the remaining six souls and free monsterkind. He fails, returning to only crumble into dust.

“AND SO, THE UNDERGROUND WAS ONCE AGAIN HOPELESS. THE YOUNG PRINCE ASRIEL WAS BESIDE HIMSELF FOR BEING UNABLE TO PREVENT THIS TRAGEDY. AND THE KING…HE DISAPPEARED, LEAVING THE QUEEN ALL ALONE TO MAKE THE DIFFICULT DECISION TO DECLARE HUMANS AS THE ENEMY.”

Chara sniffles. “That’s so _sad_.”

“YES, IT IS. BUT,” he adds optimistically, “WE MONSTERS ARE STARTING TO RELEARN THAT HUMANS AREN’T ALL BAD! HOPEFULLY, WITH YOUR HELP, THE QUEEN WILL REALIZE THIS TOO!”

“Yeah!”

Sans’s voice becomes hushed when he reaches to a hallway right outside of New Home. His gaze becomes solemn and even reverent as he carefully treads the area. “This is the Judgement Hall, Human. This is where souls are Judged before coming before the Queen.” Sans’ expression becomes confused. “Papy is supposed to be here. Where is my brother?”

“Oh. Papyrus already did the Judgement thing back in the Cafeteria. He told me that I ‘passed with flying colors’ or something before telling me good luck.”

**_“w h a t ?”_ **

Chara jumps at the dangerous shift in Sans’ tone. It’s frightening enough even though, logically, they know it isn’t pointed towards them. The skeleton immediately changes his expression once he realizes that it’s scaring Chara. While still a little upset, it’s far less threatening than the expression he had on before.

“That lazybones! He should know better than to slack off on such an important duty! I bet he didn’t even explain to you about EXP and LOVE, right?”

Sans lets out a frustrated “Mweh!” when Chara responds with the negative. He sets them down and goes into a ‘lecturing’ pose. “Since my brother was too lazy to _do his job_ , I shall do it for him. EXP and LOVE are acronyms. They stand for “EXecution Points” and “Level Of ViolencE”. EXP is a way of measuring the amount of pain you’ve inflicted on others while LOVE is a way of measuring an individual’s capacity to hurt.”

His serious expression gentles.

“And while you may have struggled a bit in the beginning when I first met you, you have come so far, human. I am _very_ proud of how you’ve grown. No matter the struggles or hardships you faced, you strived to do the right thing. You refused to hurt anyone, even if it meant running away.”

Sans places a hand on Chara’s shoulder. The light that shone through the windows illuminated him in a way that almost seems familiar.

“You might not have gained LOVE, but you’ve gained love.”

After a beat, his hand falls away and he sheepishly rubs his neck where his bandana should’ve been.

“MWEH HE HE, I’M NOT MAKING TOO MUCH SENSE, AM I? OH WELL. ALL OF THIS WOULD’VE SOUNDED MUCH BETTER IF IT CAME OUT OF PAPY’S MOUTH. NOW, THIS IS SADLY WHERE WE PART. I MUST RETURN TO MY POST AND SCOLD A LITTLE BROTHER. BUT DON’T DESPAIR, FRIEND! YOU CAN DO IT! WE’RE ALL CHEERING FOR YOU!”

As Sans turns to leave, you can’t help but CHECK him. You pause when you see the results.

**SANS – ATK 5 DEF 5**

***He’s cheering for you!**

***(Knows more than you think)**

* * *

***You ask Chara if they trusted you.**

_Well, duh. You’re the only reason why I managed to get this far, right?_

***You equip the Worn Dagger.**

You feel Chara physically jerk back at the sight of the weapon. Again, you can see the trauma of Asgore’s death flashing across their eyes. You wait until they manage to calm themselves.

_…You’ve gotta be kidding me. Frisk, I’m not going to kill Asriel’s mom!_

***You tell Chara that they won’t. You tell Chara that it’s just a precaution since the Queen won’t be able to be swayed as easily. You tell Chara it won’t be like the last time since they’ll be working together.**

_Okay,_ Chara concedes after a moment of hesitation, _okay. I trust you, Frisk._

To your relief, the entire battle with Toriel wasn’t as terrible as you had feared. Yes, her magical strikes are more difficult to weave through than the ones in your memories, but that’s to be expected as she’s not holding back. You and Chara chip away at her HP until she is at your Mercy.

And Chara gives her Mercy.

“Human…you will forgive me? You would rather suffer down here than return to the Surface?” At Chara’s nod, she tears up. “After losing two children, I have been blinded by my grief. I desired to protect my people so the same tragedy wouldn’t happen to them…or my remaining son. Human, I would be honored if you can join my son and I…as family.”

You feel Chara’s disbelief turn into such bright joy that you regret no telling them what would most likely happen next.

And just as you had guessed, a Temmie flake flies out of nowhere and strikes at Queen Toriel’s soul. She cries out in shock before catching sight of Chara’s expression. It must’ve been such a horrified since the Queen of Monsters schools her expression into a soft smile.

“My child, be good…will you not?”

You hear Chara’s enraged scream as the world goes dark.

* * *

“hOI, hOI, hOI, hOI!” Omega Temmie laughs as she looks down jeeringly at Chara. “I’m going to _enjoy_ putting you into your place.”

_She’s hideous,_ Chara comments to you blithely, trying not to show how scared they are at the intimidating sight in front of them. They’re trying so hard to be Brave. You send a wave of comfort to them anyways. You show them that they are not alone.

Together, with the help of the other human souls, you and Chara manage to defeat Temmie.

And, as Chara stands in front of the pathetic, ragged-looking doll, you wonder if they’ll strike out in anger. You don’t think you’d blame them this time. Toriel’s offer…the idea of being part of a good, kind family…Temmie had swiped it all away with a single strike.

_Should I do it?_ Chara asks you, surprising you. _You’re my partner_ , they remind you, _your choice matters as much as mine._

***You tell Chara that you know and respect them enough to agree with their decision on this. You are certain that whatever decision they make, it’s the right one.**

_Okay Frisk. Thank you._

***Chara shows Temmie Mercy.**

Temmie snarled at lashed out at Chara’s choice at first. She taunted and goaded Chara to change their mind. And yet, Chara makes no move to strike. The more they show Mercy, the more Temmie’s deranged grin shrunk until it completely disappeared.

“Why?” she finally asks. “Even _I_ know that I don’t deserve Mercy. I don’t…I don’t understand…”

When Chara doesn’t answer, you step forward.

***You tell Temmie that no one _deserves_ Mercy. It’s just a kindness that’s given when it can. It’s your choice and you’re going to stand by it.**

Temmie’s desolate expression immediately changes at your words. She looks at you as if she’s seeing a ghost.

“…Frisk?”

You stumble back when Temmie addresses you. How…How did she know your name? How did she _know_ you? Temmie, all the more convinced shuffles closer. “Frisk, is that you?”

You…

***You force a Reload.**

* * *

“you okay?”

***You tell Geno that you’re fine.**

* * *

The moment you return, Chara immediately tries to talk to you.

_Frisk…what was that?_

***You tell Chara you don’t want to talk about it.**

_Okay,_ Chara easily concedes before falling silent. It’s obvious that they’re trying _really hard_ not to pursue the line of questioning.

Chara’s phone rings, breaking the awkward moment. Papyrus’ voice speaks from the other side, asking them if they could help him out in Waterfall. “it’s ‘dyne. she’s going crazy because of some letter and i need some backup. can ya help out a friend? promise she won’t do anything. ‘dyne never hurts a guest.”

It turns out that the ‘letter’ that Undyne was freaking out about is a _love_ letter she’s been painstakingly trying to craft to the Captain of the Royal Guard for _years._ Recently, she had accidentally spilled ramen over the pages.

To Chara’s surprise, Papyrus’ presence and their role as a ‘guest’ wasn’t necessary to keep things calm. Napstaton and Happstablook had explained everything to her. Not only that, Undyne had seen you act of Bravery on the bridge and garnered an admiration for you.

“You looked like Wan Wan, heroically sweeping to the rescue!” The scientist gushed, taking Chara’s hands. “You even took the effort to bring Alphie back to her house after your honorable duel with her!”

Since there are no longer any negative feelings, Chara willingly helps Undyne rewrite her letter. Papyrus, seeing that he’s no longer needed, shortcuts away with a wink. Chara and you have fun shooting out suggestions before the entire thing spirals into a scripted scenario on how to confess face-to-face.

You try not to think about what would happen after Undyne and Alphys resolve their feelings for each other. You try not to think about the True Lab under your feet as Chara fakes Alphys’ rough voice. You try not to think about the terrible secrets that Undyne must be hiding. You try not to think about how, in this universe, _you_ might be a terrible person and Chara is going to find out.

Later, you remind yourself as you laugh along with Chara, later.

* * *

Chara slides in the first tape. It begins to play.

_“Surprise, guys! Take a look at what I found in the dump!”_ You hear Asriel say. Another young voice pipes in. _“Whoa! Take a look at that! Isn’t this one of those video cams? Dude, that’s awesome!”_

You know this voice, you realize, that’s Monster Kid.

_“Hey Frisk! Check this out!”_

You flinch when you hear your own voice respond. It’s too far to hear the exact words, but the tone shares MK and Asriel’s excitement. Then, you hear a muffled but all-too-familiar “hOI!” that makes you and Chara jump.

_“Yo, are you still carrying that doll around?”_ MK asks. _“You still haven’t let it go since mom and dad gave it to you on your birthday.”_

_“Hehe, you really like Temmie, huh Frisk? I’m glad.”_ Asriel giggles.

***You hear your voice stammering about how Toriel had put so much effort in making Temmie by hand.**

_“…Yo, Azz, I think the camera’s rolling.”_

_“Wha-? Really?!”_

The tape ends. Chara puts in the next one.

_“Day 1 of Magic Training!”_ Asriel’s youthful voice chirps out seconds after the tape starts playing. _“With the book about Souls and Spells, we’ll be masters in no time! First, we’re going to try – oh Frisk! You’re finally here!”_

_“Hey, yo, Frisk! Look at what Azzy found! Dude, it’s, like, so cool!”_

***You hear your voice asking a question.**

_“Hehe, don’t be silly, Frisk. I borrowed it from dad’s library. Don’t worry, I’ll put it back after we’re done.”_

***You hear your voice asking something else.**

_“Dude, **obviously** , we’re going to use it to become so powerful that we can break the barrier! Right, Azz?”_

_“Right!”_

_“…golly! The cap’s still on!”_

The tape finishes with peals of laughter. Chara puts in the next tape.

_“Day 12 of Magic Training! I think we’re beginning to make some progress!”_

_“Dude,”_ the previously enthusiastic voice is now a little despondent, _“don’t you think we’ve tried hard enough on something that’s impossible? You heard what the Dr. River told us. No matter how powerful a monster is, they can’t break a barrier.”_

_“But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying!”_ You hear Asriel insist. _“Frisk, back me up!”_

_“Yo, don’t rope them into this! Even Frisk knows it’s a pipe dream! Tell him, Frisk!”_

***You hear your voice telling the two not to fight. Siblings shouldn’t argue.**

_“…yeah, you’re right. You’re always right. Sorry, Azz.”_

_“Sorry, MK.”_

The tape ends. Chara puts in another.

_“Frisk? Why do you have the video cam? Is this another one of MK’s tricks?”_

_“Yo, not cool! I don’t always play tricks on you, Azz! ‘Sides, I’m too old to do stuff like that. I’m going to be the next Captain of the Royal Guard one day, y’know! Just like Captain –”_ The video fizzles a bit. _“ – so no more tricks!”_

_“Then what **are** you doing, Frisk?”_

***You hear your voice asking Asriel and MK if they can trust them.**

_“Of course.”_

_“Yeah, dude, always.”_

***You hear your voice asking Asriel and MK if they remembered the lesson on the possible ways to break or cross the barrier. You hear the affirmative from both of them.**

There is silence before MK finally speaks up.

_“Wait, dude, you’re not saying…”_

***You hear your voice telling them that you have a plan, but both of them have to swear that they won’t tell anyone – not even Toriel and Asgore. Swear it on their SOULs.**

You and Chara hear both children swear before the tape ends.

“Frisk,” Chara speaks aloud, making you flinch. “You don’t…you don’t have to talk about it, but just know that I’m here for you…okay?”

***You try to answer Chara but find that you don’t have any words.**

“It’s okay,” they continue to say out loud, “it’s fine. You don’t have to say anything. I understand.”

* * *

You sit at the backseat as Chara returns to the throne room to face Toriel again. Everything plays out almost exactly how you expected it. Asgore interrupts the fight before it begins and all of the friends that Chara had made immediately follows, one-by-one.

And then, Temmie ruins it all by taking all the souls.

You’re not sure what to feel when you see MK again. You know that he’s important to the other Frisk, but to you he’s a passing acquaintance who might have been a very good friend with enough time. You never know since your memories always stop before you reach the Surface.

“Yo, Frisk, you’re there, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you forgot your best pal!”

You have to admit, Chara does very well on their own without your help. Of course, you’re always there to back them up with **De ~~termination~~ **whenever they’re in a tough spot during the battle, but you feel like this is what _they_ should do with their own hands. This is _their_ family, _their_ friends, and _their_ world to SAVE.

You’re not surprised when they manage to get through to MK. You’re less surprised that he decides to break the barrier.

“Wow…I was such a turd. I’m so sorry, Frisk.”

“…”

“I know…you’re not Frisk, are you? Frisk has been gone for a very, very long time.”

_Talk to him,_ Chara pushes, _don’t you have anything you want to say to your silbing?”_

Oh, you realize, oh. Chara thinks that you’re…well, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that way but still –

They think you’re this world’s Frisk. Thinking back, Chara only knows that you lost your memory during your time in a white, endless space and that the alternate universe you were in before was certainly not your own. Paired with your visceral reactions to MK and Asriel, it’s not too hard to come to the conclusion that you are the ghost of this world’s Frisk.

They must have come to this conclusion after the Lab. Or perhaps, they came to this conclusion way before that. You want to correct them and explain _everything_. And so, you decide to do it. Chara deserves the entire truth.

***You tell Chara that it’s complicated, but –**

_“No.”_ Chara shuts you down before you can even begin. _“I refuse to hear any of that ‘complicated’ crap. You talk to MK now or I’ll **make** you.”_

You know that Chara’s doing this because they care, but they’re making it really hard to explain everything. They completely stonewall your efforts to the point that you give up and accept the fact that your friend now thinks you’re a ghost.

***You tell Chara that you don’t want MK to continue viewing Chara as “Frisk”. They are their own person. Besides, there is nothing that the dead can say to the living and you are not the exception.**

_Still…_ Chara trails off as they vocally forgive MK.

Yes, still. Even if you aren’t his “Frisk”, it _does_ feel wrong to do nothing, doesn’t it?

**ACT:**

***Comfort him *Do not**

***You step forward and hug MK.**

* * *

***You ask Chara what the whole point was in backtracking all the way back to the flowerbed where they fell. The exit from the Underground is the _opposite_ direction.**

_Awww, c’mon, Frisk! It was supposed to be a victory backtrack! To see how far we’ve come together!_ Chara’s pace slows down once the throne room is in sight. _Besides…I wanted to make our time together a bit longer._

You soften at their confession.

_Are you sure you can’t stay with us? I can share my body. I don’t really mind anymore! Promise! And you can see the sun again and we’ll be family and –_

You feel a pang of longing at Chara’s offer. You see the excited smiles from all their friends and family and for _one moment_ you consider it. You consider going with Chara to the Surface and living a happy ending.

But then, you think of Geno.

***(You tell Chara that you can’t leave with them. You need to part ways with them soon.)**

Though Chara is disappointed, they aren’t surprised by your answer. _Thank you, Frisk. For everything. If you weren’t there, I would’ve…thank you._

***You ask for a favor before both of you separate. You can feel the RESET button in Chara’s possession and, though you have come to trust Chara and their decisions, you’d prefer it to be destroyed before you leave.**

Chara agrees and shatters the RESET button with you tearfully.

***(Even though you’re going to miss each other, you and Chara agree that it’s time to move forward to whatever future that’s ahead of them. This choice fills you both with Bravery.)**

_Goodbye, Frisk._

***You tell Chara goodbye.**

Separating from Chara's body was easier than you thought. You watch as Chara quickly realizes that they are alone once again. They move forward. Just like they promised. You watch as Chara trots forward, joining up with their family. You stay until they disappear through the threshold to their happy ending.

And then, you take a step back.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I am in the firm belief that all Sanses, no matter what universe, are all pun-loving dorks and have a Papyrus shaking his head in brotherly disappointment.
> 
> Here are additional links to headcannons/artworks/voice acting that inspired me as I wrote this chapter:  
> Toriel and Asgore Character Sprites by wannabeagamergirl100 [Here](https://wannabegamergirl100.tumblr.com/post/167287560345/heres-something-i-havent-done-in-a-bit-ive)  
> Swap!Undyne Design [Here](https://skesgo.tumblr.com/post/186596445632/good-morning-its-a-sunday-today-so-imma-be-out)  
> Swap!Alphys Design [Here](https://zwagyzonk.tumblr.com/post/172580632575/flame)  
> Lost Souls Scene [Here](https://thegrinningkitten.tumblr.com/post/175549066980/underswap-lost-souls-not-necessarily-a-part-of)  
> First Fallen Child Backstory [Here](https://thegrinningkitten.tumblr.com/post/163970009105/if-youll-be-my-star-ill-be-your-sky)
> 
> And, well, pretty much everything that [skesgo](https://skesgo.tumblr.com) makes concerning Underswap. I adore their headcannons for the Swap Universe and their art is beautiful. Go check 'em out. Honestly? Go check all of these talented artists out.


	8. Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Politics isn't really your forte, but you have no choice in that matter now that you're in Swapfell. Stuck in a society that wobbles between Totalitarianism and Capitalism, you can only rely on your previous experiences to make it through the Underground as quickly and efficiently as you can.
> 
> Oh? What was that? You went completely off-script? 
> 
> Alternatively: Because of your dumb yellow soul, you start a revolution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay! Let's continue our tour around the Undertale AUs! Next stop: Swapfell. 
> 
> Ah yes, Swapfell. The salad of all Undertale AUs. Usually, I'd just cite one creator here, but this universe is a special case. In its base form, Swapfell is a combination of Underfell and Underswap. Simple enough until you realize that there's about three different versions (as I know of for now feel free to correct me) floating around the fandom. Swapfell by Kkhoppang (no link) is recognized mostly by its purple theme and its concept of being an edgier and Capitalistic version of Underswap. On the other hand, Fellswap Red by blackgggum (again no link) is the other way around; Underfell inhabitants are swapped. Fellswap Gold by [Jot](https://blackggggum.tumblr.com/search/fellswap) is separated from the previous two in that it's set in the Cold War Era and far more heavy on the political theme.
> 
> While each of these universes are wonderful by their own right, I - like many others in the fandom - make my own version of Swapfell by picking and choosing from each of these three versions. I took most of my inspiration from skesgo's interpretation on this universe and the Skeleton Brothers.
> 
> **Warning: Implied Suicide, Child Neglect, and mentions of Unethical Science**

Returning to the Save Screen feels a little bittersweet. Chara’s offer still rings in your ears as you open your eyes to complete and utter darkness. Even the patch of grass that had enthralled you in the past appears so sparse. You’re coming to realize that the Save Screen is just as much of a prison as the blank space you had been stuck in for so long.

You really have to work harder to find a way to get Geno out of here…

Something shifts at the edge of your vision and you turn to greet Geno only to see nothing. The space in front of you was completely empty. Strange. You swear you saw something.

“hey, look who’s just finished a run,” Geno greets you from behind, making you jump and whirl around. He tilts his head at your reaction. “you look a bit _rattled_ there, kid. did something happen?”

***You tell Geno that you thought you saw something when you came back. You ask him if it was him playing a trick on you.**

Geno shifts in a way that hitches the scarf over his smile before winking. “yeah, sorry. you caught me. couldn’t help myself.”

***You pout and cross your arms. You tell Geno that the trick wasn’t very clever since the both of you are the only ones in the Save Screen.**

“yeah…you’re right. i’ll be smarter about my tricks next time.”

***You tell Geno there shouldn’t even _be_ a next time.**

Geno chuckles. “ok, ok. i won’t,” he relents easily before his eye catches lands on something on your shoulder. “whoa, that wasn’t there before.”

You follow his gaze and jump at the sight of the blue bandana Sans had bestowed to Chara. The bandana itself isn’t the surprising part of it since it had happened before with collar, but your shoulder…your shoulder has color.

Somehow, the arms of your sweater had inherited Chara’s vibrant green and yellow colors. A thought hits you and you hastily check the other parts of your body for any more changes. You pull back your sleeves and find that the skin under your clothes are colored and speckled with the band-aids that had covered your first vessel. No wonder you didn’t notice until now.

Geno congratulates you for the welcome change and, just like he had done for the collar, he offered to hold onto the bandana for you. “heh, by this point, you’ll be collecting souvenirs from every sans you bump into.”

***You tell Geno that you’ll be starting your next run soon.**

“already?”

***You tell Geno that since you now know that there’s four more universes to go through until you can Save his home, you’re pumped up to face the next one!**

“wow, you humans…your stamina really scares me sometimes. you just came back from saving a version of the underground. again. and you’re saying that you’re fine with doing it again? where do you get all that energy?” Geno shakes his head. “you sure that you don’t need a break?”

***You tell Geno that you’re completely sure. You thank him for worrying about you.**

“don’t push yourself. ok?” Geno pats your head.

You bid Geno farewell before heading over to the buttons and fall through.

* * *

You fall face-first into a bed of golden flowers.

The moment you clamber onto your feet, you check your stats.

**“Chara”**

**LV 1**

**HP 20/20**

**AT 0 (15) EXP: 0**

**DF 0 (0) NEXT:10**

**WEAPON: Worn Dagger**

**ARMOR: Bandage**

**GOLD: 0**

You grin widely as you read the name of the vessel. The green and yellow striped sleeves only cement it. You’re with Chara again. They might not be the same, but still…

***You mentally call out to Chara.**

***(…)**

***(But no one answered.)**

You frown and call out to them again. You reach around your mind to try to form a connection. Maybe they haven’t woken yet? It took a while for them to start kicking up a fuss about you being there with them so maybe you should wait for them?

You try not to panic as you sit back down onto the flowerbed and wait.

Chara will come. Chara _has_ to come.

…

But Chara never came. You are alone, you realize with heaviness and grief. Chara is not with you this time and you are alone.

* * *

You move forward. You always do. Though you’re disappointed that Chara would not be with you this time, you also acknowledge that this Chara wouldn’t have been the same Chara you befriended in your previous run. In a way, you being alone is a blessing.

Well, that’s what you try to tell yourself as you make your way to the next room and face the one who might either be your best friend or your worst foe, according to the pattern. When you catch sight of the ragged Temmie, you immediately know that it’s the former.

“A human?” The surprise that skitters across the wary Temmie’s face is only momentary. It quickly shifts into something harder and more guarded as the doll looks you over. “Oh. Great. Another weak one,” she sneers. “I know your type. You’re going to die down here in no time.”

Something snaps inside you when you hear her say that. It’s surprising since you’ve been numb and disoriented until that point. The emotions that follow are mixed, but the most prominent one that you can recognize is _irritation_.

What Temmie said… _irritates_ you. Very much. You’re not too sure _why_ since you’ve heard worse in previous runs, but the feeling doesn’t go away. Despite yourself, you pick Temmie up, cutting her off midway through her monologuing.

“Y-Yo! What’s the big idea?! Put me down!”

***You tell Temmie “not after you apologize first, you meanie”.**

“No!”

***You repeat your demand for an apology.**

_“Never!”_

**ACT:**

***Threaten *Throw**

***Noogie *Drop**

***You choose to give Temmie a noogie. The roughest noogie that you can muster with your tiny hands.**

An obnoxious “hOI!” squeaks from Temmie’s mouth at the pressure. She somehow manages to flush despite being made of fabric, stuffing, and buttons. You watch her with interest as she momentarily flails in silence before exploding with a new wave of insults and struggling.

This is new, you realize. Temmie hasn’t told you anything about the Underground, much less the rules of how to survive against its inhabitants. Heck, she hasn’t even attempted to draw out your soul for a mock Encounter! Not that you expect her to suddenly have a change of heart and lend you a paw out of the kindness of her…well, you would say soul, but that would be a lie. Temmie has no soul.

Should you _Reload_? You haven’t Saved yet, so you can redo your interaction with Temmie to bring things back on track. You should.

You _should_. It’s how the script is written out. You should follow it to ensure that you have a successful run.

But…

Just as you remember your own Undyne saying in your memories, you decide: _Screw it._

Screw following the script.

“Where are you taking me? Hey! I’m _talking_ to you, you turd!” Temmie demands, all scowl and bite. Still, her bravado doesn’t hide the slight tremor as you lift her up to eye-level. “W-Well?”

***You tell Temmie that you decided that you’re going to break the barrier and free all monsters from Underground. And she’s going to help.**

“Wait, what?”

* * *

“Why do you do that?”

While initially stubborn in keeping her silence as you make your way through the Ruins, Temmie breaks it after another victory. She looks from you to the fleeing and sobbing Froggit in complete bafflement. You tilt your head at her expression.

***You ask Temmie to clarify her question.**

“The G. You gave some of it back to the monsters you fought. I don’t understand. You won the Encounter. You’re the stronger monster – er, human. All that G is rightfully yours. So why?”

You think back to the sobbing Froggits and Whimsuns as they handed over hundreds of G, which is way more than you’re used to receiving after winning an Encounter. You remember feeling bad every time and ending up returning nearly all of what you earned minus a G or five.

***You tell Temmie that you don’t need that much G, so you gave them back to the monsters who apparently did.**

Temmie huffs, irritation returning to her fabric features. If she could, you’re sure that she would’ve stamped a paw. “That’s not how it works down here! Down here, G means power and power means everything! Without it, you’re dust!”

***You summarize Temmie’s explanation by using a familiar phrase: “kill or be killed”. Since monster lives and power in the Underground depend on the amount of G in their pockets, it’s important to gather as much as you can.**

She nods, satisfied that you understand.

“Exactly.”

***You tell Temmie that their explanation makes you _more_ convinced that you made the right decision. If G and lives are one and the same, then you’re not interested in taking any of it. **

Temmie snorts. “Yeah? Well, what are you going to do about it? It’s the way of the Underground. It’s not like some puny human like you can do anything just because you don’t ‘feel right’ about it. Dream on.”

You ignore Temmie and move forward.

***(The thought that life can somehow be measured as something equivalent to G makes you indignant. You are filled with Justice.)**

* * *

Staying true to your decision to completely ditch the pre-written script, you avoid Asgore. It’s one decision that Temmie is surprisingly on board with. With careful maneuvering, you and Temmie manage to dodge Asgore and sneak into his home.

“Asgore was once a kind and good king,” Temmie murmurs to you as you explore the empty house, “but the actions of the Queen drove him away from his throne, his people, and his family. Now, he’s just…angry and bitter. It’s not surprising. The Underground changed a lot ever since Queen Toriel came into power and I guess he changed too.”

The diary entries that you skim through offers you more insight in this version of King Asgore.

_“Nice day today! The flowers are blooming beautifully. The Ruins are lonely, but it’s better this way. I’m sure that they’re doing better without me there.”_

_“Many monsters have come to the Ruins for sanctuary. Tori, what are you doing?”_

_“Another human fell today. They are young. Younger than even –_ ” The ink is blotted here, leaving the rest of the sentence unreadable.

_“Her wretched influence has even reached here. I can no longer trust my subjects without the fear that one of them would poison my tea. They’ve even begun resorting to kidnapping and turning in the humans under my care.”_

_“I lost another one…”_

_“Instead of dirt, my paws are dirtied more often with dust. I do not wish to take the lives of my people like this, but it’s for the children. I cannot lose another. I cannot.”_

_“I have long since given up hope for my people. If they get their hands on the final soul, they would even taint the Surface. The final child should never fall into Queen Toriel’s hands. I won’t allow it.”_

_“Nice day today. The flowers are blooming beautifully. I finished cleaning out the Ruins again. I should wash my hands again after finishing this entry. The dust clings.”_

_“I’ve made a friend. They’re someone beyond the door. It’s dangerous to trust something like this but it’s been such a long time.”_

A heavy emotion settles in your chest as you close the journal and carefully place it back onto the desk. The contents were far more personal than you had expected. To see the once gentle soul turn into someone so dark and angry breaks your heart.

***(You are Dete ~~rmined~~ to find the root of this problem. This Asgore may have lost faith in other monsters, true, but you’re certain that there is still kindness and compassion in these monsters. The thought of somehow finding a way to return the Underground the way you remember it fills you with Justice.)**

After gathering as much information and some stray monster food left on the kitchen counter, you briskly make your way downstairs, pressured by Temmie’s anxious whispers for you to “hurry it up already!” Despite her worries, you find no Asgore blocking your path to the exit. Nor did the ex-king suddenly appear behind you to halt you and Temmie in your journey.

There is no Fight. You and Temmie cross the threshold and move forward.

* * *

“HUMAN! HALT IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN!”

Admittedly, you had rushed into the Snowdin area without much thought about the consequences as you should’ve. In your complete relief in avoiding Asgore, you had forgotten one important thing:

Sans.

It’s your terrible luck that this one isn’t too lazy to capture you. Worse yet, he’s the _Captain of the Royal Guard._ A motivated Sans, your ultimate weakness and downfall.

**MERCY:**

***Spare *Flee**

***(You choose to flee for your life. There’s no time to reason with your foe – not if you want to be skewered with an attack for your troubles. Run, run, run!)**

“This is bad. Really, really bad!” Temmie wails in your arms, trembling as you scamper away from the Captain. Thankfully, you’re far away from the skeleton enough that he can’t hear her. “You’ve got the worst luck, human! The worst of the worst! The turd of all luck!”

As if to prove Temmie wrong, you slam into something. No…

Some _one_.

“caught ‘em, bro.”

This Papyrus looms over you. Just like his counterpart in the universe of your first run, he’s all scars and sharp teeth. Papyrus’ single, gold tooth gleams at you almost mockingly as he speaks to his older brother. Since the fur-lined hood he wears overshadows most of his features, he looks foreboding and dangerous. And yet, the voice he uses is soft.

Sans catches up to both of you. To your surprise, the Captain does not sneer or gloat. In fact, both skeleton brothers look grim. Sans wields a single bone attack like a dagger as he raises it above your soul. “WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE, YOUNG HUMAN. I WILL MAKE THIS QUICK.”

***(In your desperation, you call for the Trial of Puzzles. You demand to at least be given the right to that before being killed. You cry out for Justice in your hopeless situation.)**

And, by some miracle, it stays Sans’ hand. He looks at you with strange expression on his features as he slowly retracts his attack. It’s as if you’ve said something completely unorthodox. Still, it let you live longer, so you don’t care.

“…FINE. YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR TRIAL.”

* * *

“You _do_ know that the trial isn’t what it used to be, right? It used to be something to give humans a fighting chance, but monsters don’t play fair anymore. Now, it’s a high-stakes exam reserved for Royal Guard hopeful’s – not that having any hope makes it easier to pass it,” Temmie informs you later as you gorge yourself in Burgerpants’ meat patties to regain your health.

You choke mid-bite and descend into a coughing fit.

“You didn’t know, did you?” Temmie asks, completely unimpressed with your ignorance. “Typical.”

* * *

One of the traps catch you by surprise, knocking you out before you can recover enough HP to carry on forward.

Instead of waking up in the Save Screen, you open your eyes to see yourself in an all-too-familiar shed. You stand up abruptly, yelping as your head painfully collides into metal. You reel back into sitting position to avoid a repeat of the experience. Rubbing your head, you slowly realize that you’re inside what seems to be a crate.

A paper-thin blanket slides off of your lap as you look around your small prison, being careful not to bump your head this time.

***(It seems that you’re in what seems to be a doggy crate. Or a cage perfectly sized for a human child. There’s a door, but it’s locked. Guess you’re stuck here for a while.)**

Something shifts under the blankets. You peer underneath and end up meeting Temmie’s eyes. “hOI!” She chirps cheerily before her expression changes into a familiar scowl. “You sure took your time to wake up. Figures you’d be out for so long after such a minor injury. Aren’t you humans supposed to be strong or something?”

***You quietly express your relief to see Temmie still here. You didn’t want to wake up alone.**

Temmie’s harsh expression falters at your confession.

“hey.”

You jump at the unexpected greeting, slamming your head into the ceiling of the crate once again. Your eyes water as you turn to face the speaker. You’re unsurprised to see that it’s Papyrus.

The younger skeleton brother regards you with a detached sort of amusement as you blink away the tears that had welled up from the pain. After he’s certain that he has your attention, he lifts up something – a dog bowl, you realize – and wiggles it almost tauntingly. “meal time,” he sings, and it almost sounds kind.

He slowly walks around the crate and kneels down to a small door flap you hadn’t noticed before. After pushing the bowl through it, he gets right back to his feet. A sad, soggy burrito sits inside the bowl. Despite its appearance, it tastes surprisingly good.

“what’s under the blanket?” Papyrus asks casually. You nearly stiffen at his question. You feel Temmie actually do so under the sheet. “you were talkin’ to somethin’ under there. i heard you, so don’t lie to me, human.”

When you don’t speak or move, Papyrus sighs and you are suddenly surrounded by a familiar blue attack, immobilizing you. He unlocks the crate and pulls away the blanket revealing –

“oh. lookit that. it’s a temmie doll.” Papyrus sounds pleasantly surprised to see the stuffed animal at your feet. He deftly plucks her from the cage and looks her over admiringly. “it’s rare to see these things up and around this place anymore. they sell too high nowadays.”

***(Something fierce and terrible wells up inside you. You remember how in this Underground, lives and G are interchangeable. Temmie is not a _thing_ to be sold. No one should be and you tell Papyrus so. You demand for your friend to be given back to you.)**

***(You are filled with Justice.)**

Instead of reacting negatively to your demand, Papyrus’ mocking expression turns a little panicked. You would realize only later that your ‘fierce demand’ was more of a watery plea. You would also remember that no matter the universe, Papyrus would always retain a bit of his kindness. “i-i won’t take it away from you! look, see? you can have it back.”

“please don’t cry” you think he says, but you dismiss it as a hallucination.

Papyrus shakily returns the temmie doll to you and relocks the door. You clutch at the doll tightly, watching him carefully as he all but flees from the shed. You wait for a few more minutes before relaxing your grip on the doll. It remains silent and unresponsive aside from its built-in “hOI!” greeting. You stare at it a bit more before reaching into your inventory. Temmie lets out a dramatic gulp of air as she returns from your pocket dimension.

“Dude, that was close! Good thing you had a decoy at hand, or we would’ve been _toast_.”

She glances at the other temmie doll curiously.

“Where did you even find one? They stopped mass-producing those after…well, it doesn’t matter. At least you’ll have something to sell if we run out of G, which is highly possible knowing the Underground.”

***You tell Temmie that it won’t happen. You tell her that this doll is important to you.**

“Oh, of all the – you know what? _Fine_. Continue being a sentimental idiot and see where that gets you.”

* * *

You’re standing in front of a mirror.

Instead of Chara’s face, you see your own. For some reason, the sight chills you to the bone. You try to back away from your reflection only to realize that you’re stuck. You can’t move your body. You could only shiver and shudder pathetically as dread settles over your shoulders like a cloak.

You stare in mute horror at your reflection as it begins to move. You can’t. All you can do is stare at those red eyes, wondering what it would do to you next.

* * *

You wake up from that nightmare numb and cold. Temmie is fast asleep beside you and you are certain that any attempt to seek comfort from her would be met with irritation. The thin blanket barely serves as a source of warmth and comfort as you draw it closer to yourself. A pointed cough makes you look up.

***…Sans.**

“THE CORRECT TITLE IS ‘CAPTAIN’ FOR YOU, HUMAN!”

***You see that Sans is no longer in his uniform. Instead, he’s dressed in comfortable looking pajamas completed by a nightcap and a pair of fuzzy, pink slippers. You ask him if you woke him up.**

“OF COURSE,” he sniffs, “ALL THAT RACKET YOU WERE MAKING IN YOUR SLEEP WAS GOING TO WAKE THE NEIGHBORS. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU’D KEEP IT DOWN BEFORE –”

He abruptly stops in mid-sentence when he hears you sniffle. Your sniffles turn into hiccups, which then quickly descends into a fit of quiet sobbing. Big, fat tears roll down your cheeks as you curl into the blanket.

***You feel confused and lost. You feel cold and dizzy. You realize that you don’t have any friends to turn to. You feel…alone.**

And then, Sans begins to talk.

The sentences are simple, short, and a little repetitive. As your crying ceased, you slowly realize that he’s telling you a story.

“ – THE HILLS ARE FULL OF BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS. THERE IS A DAISY. THERE IS A BUTTERCUP. BUT IS FLUFFY BUNNY HIDING HERE? NO, HE’S NOT HERE. LET’S SEARCH SOMEWHERE ELSE. LET’S GO TO…”

Sans trails off and falls silent.

***You ask Sans if there’s any more to the story.**

“…I HAVE FORGOTTEN. IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME.”

* * *

You wake up in the Save Screen feeling very, very cold. Shudders wrack through you as you curl up on the floor. When Geno finds you, he doesn’t say a word. Instead, he wordlessly wraps you up in his torn and bloodied hoodie as best he could and gathers you onto his lap as he holds you.

“…let’s go to the creek where all the fishies swim,” you hear Geno murmur, breaking the silence. “the water is so clear and it’s so fun to splash in. is fluffy bunny there? no, he’s not there. fluffy bunny, fluffy bunny where are you? the sun is going down and your friends are missing you. oh wait, what is that shape behind that tree? what is that sound?”

Before you drift back into sleep, you see Geno’s expression turn bittersweet.

“peek-a-boo! fluffy bunny, i found you!”

* * *

In hindsight, escaping from the crate isn’t as difficult as you had assumed. Having a walking, talking doll has its perks, especially when you need someone to wiggle out from the meal flap and get the key.

“Quick! Run! Before the Captain and his brother notices and makes sure that we’re stuck there _forever_!”

You heed Temmie’s warning by quickening your pace as you rush through Snowdin.

***(Even as you run, you notice how the streets are bare of its colorful lights and completely dull in color. The citizens of the small town all wear such downtrodden expressions. Suddenly, you recall a memory of bright, friendly faces full of smiles and laughter. The stark contrast between memory and reality fills you with the desire for Justice.)**

Despite your effort to bypass the skeleton brothers without a fight as you had with Asgore, it’s no use. Sans is already standing at the path between Snowdin Town and the beginning of Waterfall territory.

“Crap, he’s already here. We’re going to _die,_ ” Temmie bemoans as she buries under the back of your sweater.

“HUMAN!” He acknowledges when he sees you come near. “I SEE THAT YOU HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR CONFINEMENT. I ADMIT, YOU HAVE EXCEEDED ALL OF MY EXPECTATIONS ASIDE FROM YOUR PREVIOUS FAILURE. YOUR SKILLS AND RESILENCE ARE IDEAL QUALITIES FOR THE ROYAL GUARD. I’D EVEN TAKE YOU IN AS AN APPRENTICE WITH ALL THE GRIT YOU’VE SHOWN UNTIL THIS POINT.”

Though flattered by his praises, you sense a ‘but’.

“BUT!” Aha, there it is. “THAT IS NOT TO BE. I HAVE A DUTY TO FULFILL FOR MY QUEEN. FACE ME, HUMAN, AND SURRENDER YOUR SOUL.”

**ACT:**

***Accept *Turn back**

***You accept San’s challenge.**

* * *

“A PITY,” Sans states dispassionately. You stare at him with a numb sort of shock. It’s an attack from behind that does you in. But that’s not what surprises you. You had won. You had Spared Sans. The Encounter had been finished. And yet, how –? “EVEN A MONSTER CHILD KNOWS TO NEVER LET THEIR GUARD DOWN EVEN OUTSIDE OF AN ENCOUNTER. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR MERCY HERE.”

You feel him catch your body before it reaches the ground.

“IN THIS WORLD, IT’S KILL OR BE KILLED.”

* * *

***You puzzle at finding a solution to somehow find a way to resolve your conflict with Sans. You’ve already repeated the Fight eleven times, but it ends with the same results every time. Imminent backstabbing and your death. No matter how many times you cajole or try to endear yourself to the Captain, nothing seems to work. You’ve even added a few fake punches, but Sans was no Undyne. Perhaps, you’re approaching this wrong?**

Your thoughts are interrupted when a snout burrows under your arm. You let out a laugh and glance down at the gaster blaster, giving it a generous scritch under its chin. Two more blasters come rushing into your space after they saw that their kin was receiving affection.

While frightening at first, you did your best to befriend Geno’s attacks when you realized their sentience. They did play a large role in improving your survival at every run.

If only Captain Sans was as receptive to your attempts in befriending him…

All three blasters look at you with concern as you let out a sigh.

***You assure Tiny, Spot, and Sir Baskerville Serif the III that you’re fine.**

“ _what_ did you just call my blasters?” Geno asks, sounding incredulous.

***You inform Geno that you called the blasters by their names.**

“yeah, no. i’m not calling them that. they’re blaster #3, blaster #7, and blaster #12. end of discussion.”

***You are just as firm about your decision. The names stay.**

You win in the end, not that Geno put too much of a fight in the matter.

“…so what happened to the original sir baskerville serif and sir baskerville serif jr.?”

***You tell Geno that you don’t like talking about them. It’s too painful…**

“snrk. kid, you’ve been spending _way_ too much time with me. and _i’m_ the one saying this.”

* * *

_“You wanna know more about Captain Sans? Well, I guess I know some things here or there…but it’ll cost you.”_

Upon every single death, you choose a single Snowdin resident to dump all your G’s to for information about Sans and Papyrus that might help you. Even the most inconsequential fact feels important to your goal to resolve your Fight with Sans peacefully.

_“The Skeleton Brothers? Yeah, those two grew up here before heading off to the Capital. Wonder why they came back?”_

_“Whatever you do, **don’t** threaten the Captain’s younger brother. If you want to get on his bad side in record time, that’s the way to do it.”_

_“I heard the Captain and his brother came here as a means to check on us. They **are** far from the Capital. …Oh, don’t misinterpret my words! I don’t harbor any traitorous thoughts! Long live the Queen!”_

_“You never heard it from me but it’s obvious that the Queen sent the Captain to Snowdin because he’s done something to upset her. Why else is he working so hard even though the other Royal Guards stationed here never gave a damn about their jobs?”_

After hearing everything, you come to a conclusion. Sans wants to prove himself to the Queen because he’s fallen out of favor for some reason or another, which is a huge no-no in his position. So, the most logical approach to get yourself out of your situation is…

***You tell Captain Sans that you would like to negotiate with him.**

You present an ironclad contract to Sans. In exchange for letting him _personally_ bring you to the Queen without any struggle, _he_ has to take you in as a temporary Junior Member of the Royal Guard – all responsibility, training, and protection included.

“it’ll buy you time, kid,” you remember Geno telling you as you both went over the details. “and it’ll make going around a lot easier since it’s technically _me_ helping you out,” he had added with a wink.

After a long, tense pause as Sans looks over the contract, he finally breaks it with a nod.

“IT’S ACCEPTABLE. VERY WELL, THEN.” He signs the paper with a flourish. “WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT.”

* * *

When Sans drags you into his household and announces your newfound position within it, your expectations on how he would treat you is turned over your head as he and Papyrus throws a housewarming party. In a daze, you help yourself to Sans’ homemade burritos as Papyrus breaks out his best syrup from Muffet’s.

It’s delicious. Even Temmie agrees after you feed her the leftovers when you are both alone on the couch.

* * *

It’s surprisingly not too difficult to keep Temmie’s animated existence secret to the brothers. Every time you slip and imply that she’s a living being, Sans and Papyrus always give you an indulgent look and move on with their lives. Since they’re completely and utterly convinced that Temmie _isn’t_ alive, she has more freedom to move with you wherever you go in sight.

Despite her newfound safety, Temmie frequently questions your decision to stay in Snowdin despite the time limit over your head.

“I think you should leave,” she stubbornly insists for the thousandth time. “Screw the contract, just get up and head to Waterfall already.”

***You refuse. It goes against the contract you made with Sans.**

“I get that you’re a goody-goody who follows the rules already! But the Captain isn’t going to train you forever! He might treat you nicely for now, but that’s because you’re his _pet_. Look! He even changed your sweater to match his colors and put a collar on you like he did with his Mutt of a brother!”

***It’s a locket, you correct Temmie. And it’s cute too.**

“It doesn’t matter! Any kind of accessory bought by the other monster is some sort of collar! And it’s just nice ‘cause Sans is powerful! He wouldn’t have bothered if his ego wasn’t on the line. Doesn’t the idea of it make you upset?”

Yes, but not in the way Temmie thinks. You think back to Sans’ practical, black and purple military uniform, decorated only by a beautiful deltarune pin. It’s a _personal_ gift from the Queen. You know since Sans tells you this when he catches you admiring it.

“IT’S AN HONOR,” He claims but instead of pride, you see a wry tilt in the older skeleton’s features as he says this.

“it’s a chain,” Papyrus quietly explains you later when you’re both alone. “or a sign of protection if that makes it sound better. it means that sans belongs to the queen…even if she all but threw him away. she’s playin’ with him by letting him keep that and he knows it too. but he can’t help but play along. that thing gives him hope where there’s none. that’s how it is, you see. we’re all nothing without the queen’s grace.”

***It’s wrong.**

You think about the sharp contrast between Sans’ claims of how well the Queen manages the Underground to what you see around you. How lightly lives are treated in comparison to G. How a once kind king is now bitter and in mourning for the seven children before.

***It’s wrong.**

You think about how everyone is so distrustful of the other because of the constant power struggle between all monsters. “It’s for our own good. It’s to make all of us stronger so we can all survive in the surface,” Sans recites the Queen’s words dutifully. It sounds more like clockwork than true belief. It’s so strange to see monsters so _fearful_ of the day when the barrier breaks. You’re used to seeing it be a source of hope.

***It’s wrong.**

And the children. The Toriel you know would never let the kingdom get to the point that none of them would smile. None of them bother to go to school. What’s the point? Gathering power and G early is a better choice in the long run. They all fight each other instead. It’s what they’ve seen the adults do.

***It’s wrong.**

***(So what are you going to do about it?)**

* * *

It’s a Spider Cider spiked with poison is what does you in this time.

When you return to the Save Screen, you realize how exhausted you are. You all but collapse onto Geno, who graciously accepts his fate as your designated cushion as you let your guard down and rest.

The same nightmare that had been dogging you ever since you dropped into this universe wakes you up again.

Geno makes hushing sounds as you whimper and curl into yourself. When that doesn’t work, he begins to hum. The tune is pleasant and simple. It slowly calms you and lulls you back to sleep. No nightmares this time.

* * *

**(*You decide that you’re going to start a Revolution. You are filled with the desire for Justice.)**

“You’re crazy,” Temmie scoffs, “like you’d be able to change anything. Even if monsters aren’t happy, everyone’s too scared to go against the Queen.”

That’s right. Monsters are afraid of figures of power to go against the grain. Because of Sans, adults tend to avoid you despite your human status. But the children? Now _they’re_ a different story. They don’t share the same self-preservation as their parents. Either for bragging rights or for your G, you find yourself facing off against a monster child daily.

Already, your odd insistence of accepting only the bare minimum of G despite having rights to all of it garners a reputation amongst those in stripes. Some even emulate you, thinking that it’s a sign of being strong. Though unintentional, you have influence.

Because of this, you start with the children.

It starts small, at first. You begin by swapping G with small ‘penalties’ after every battle. A monster child would be expected to perform a chore or make amends with someone they previously antagonized or even go to school for the rest of the day.

Temmie’s rolls her eyes and mocks you for it, asking you every day when your ‘glorious revolution’ would begin.

But then, one day, a kid chips in some of their G to pay for medicine for another kid’s ailing mother on their own volition. “It’s the right thing to do,” they parrot the phrase you frequently use whenever others ask you why you do what you do.

Temmie doesn’t laugh at you after that.

* * *

Fewer and fewer children challenge you as time marches on. You are patient with them, and, in due time, you befriend many of them. You know with a certainty that monsters, in their soul, are naturally compassionate and hopeful as you witness them perform more and more kind acts without a price tag attached.

And then, a miracle happens: One of the adults reciprocates a child’s kind act.

You recognize her as the Snowdin Shopkeeper who is notorious for overpricing her products. And yet, even she isn’t untouched by a kind action that a neighbor’s child performed for one of her kits. The free cinnamon bunnies that she leaves at her neighbor’s front door as a gesture of thanks was a moving and shocking act to the rest of Snowdin Town.

It all snowballs from there.

Slowly, Snowdin Town begins to transform. Even Sans and Papyrus, despite their attempts to remain true to the Queen’s Laws, can’t help but change along with the town. Papyrus begins to open up to interaction with the rest of the town. Many monsters take to his kindness and wit and befriend him quickly, especially the children. While Sans remains the ever strict and steadfast Captain of the Royal Guard whenever he makes his rounds outside, you can see how he drinks in Papyrus’ happiness just as much as you can see the longing whenever he turns down an overture of friendship from other monsters.

And if Sans suddenly turns blind and deaf to the changes in Snowdin whenever he makes a report to the Capital, it’s no one’s business but his own.

It’s nowhere near the Snowdin you know, but everyone there is making an effort to change for the better.

Well…not everyone.

“Hey! Not fair! You cheated! I demand a rematch!”

Prince Asriel Dremurr lies defeated at your feet as the other children laugh and jeer. Unfortunately, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. What began as an attempt to ‘usurp’ what he saw as the top dog of Snowdin’s striped community spiraled into a matter of pride for the prince of monsters. So, despite FIGHTing for G being a forgone practice amongst the children, Asriel kept challenging you.

Asriel gives up on a rematch after a little more whining and hands over your reward for the day. Despite your insistence of not accepting G after a battle, the young prince does it anyway, doubling the amount sometimes. You think it’s his own way of spiting you.

Instead of the usual, you find yourself holding three NTT tickets. The kids around you ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the sight of them. These things cost a pretty G after all.

“That guy’s a shit DJ anyways,” Asriel huffs moodily before storming off with a shouted “I’ll defeat you next time!”

“Dude, he says that every time,” Temmie mocks but you note that there’s a significant lack of vitriol in her voice as she watches the prince storm away. She becomes scarce whenever Asriel approaches you every time and you pretend not to know why.

***(You hum a familiar tune as you make your way back home. Your friends hum along with you even as they all scatter away to their own homes. Today is a good day.)**

When you reach home and show off your reward, Sans surprises you with a tight hug and a loud praise that warms you to the _bone_.

The Captain is an NTT fan. Who knew?

* * *

“Oh, look at you, all skin and bones – no muscle,” Undyne tuts when her gaze lands on you for the first time. You nearly quail under her unwelcome attention despite her gaze being completely covered by her goggles. Her sickly-sweet smile shifts into a sneer when Sans positions himself in front of you. “Figures that even a _human_ would be rendered into a wimp under such a careless instructor.”

She turns her attention back to you. “As the Royal Scientist, I can help you look a lot cooler. Hmm, how about lasers for eyes? Ooh! Rockets for feet! Your life will improve a lot with these changes. Many monsters under my care can agree to that!” You can’t help but shudder this time. You know about Undyne’s reputation from Snowdin’s grapevine and Papyrus’ serious warnings. She turns injured monsters into living machines “for the sake of the kingdom”. But you know better. Undyne’s ‘upgrades’ ruin lives more than fixing them.

“ _MY APPRENTICE_ IS NOT INTERESTED,” Sans refuses at your stead, voice sharp as a whip. “NOW, OUT OF OUR WAY, ROYAL SCIENTIST. WE HAVE A CONCERT TO WATCH.”

“c’mon kid, let’s go. don’t want to lose our seats, right?” Papyrus gently ushers you away from Undyne. The younger skeleton shoots the Royal Scientist a sharp look over his shoulder. “don’t try anything, ‘dyne. remember our agreement.”

“Of course. I won’t touch a single hair on the human’s head. I hope you all have fun,” Undyne croons. Her smile turns sinister and foreboding. “I heard that it’ll be a concert no one is going to forget.”

When you wind up smack dab on the stage during the concert’s finale, you reluctantly admit to yourself that Undyne is _technically_ keeping her word to the Skeleton Brothers. Poor Napstaton wails his apologies to you as his body moves beyond his control, lobbing attack after attack at you as you do your best to dodge.

“We’re going to dieeeeee!” Temmie wails at your shoulder as she holds on for dear life.

To your regret, Sans and Papyrus can’t do anything – not when this entire thing is filmed live throughout the entire Underground. You hear Undyne cackling backstage. You hear Happstablook making an offhand comment about how this is the most popular his cousin has ever been. Undernet was _exploding_ with views and comments on the livestream.

***(You are indignant. You are outraged. This is _Napstaton’s_ concert and they were ruining it. You are filled with Det ~~ermination~~ to enact Justice for the hapless celebrity.)**

***(You have activated skill: SHOOT! +4 ATK until opponent reaches 1 HP.)**

Handling this new skill is easier than using the phone. You SHOOT at Napstaton, taking care to only render him immobile.

“Oh noooo,” Napstaton, now armless and legless, begins to cry as you approach him. The audience goes quiet as you end up right in front of the robot celebrity. _Strike him down,_ you can almost hear them demand from you, _by all rights his life and G are yours._

***You don’t do any of those things. Instead, you begin to sing.**

With your limited knowledge in songs, you fall back to Geno’s tune. You clumsily cobble together a song about Snowdin Town on the spot. You sing about happiness, hope, and snow. Napstaton quickly catches onto your intention and begins to sing along, adding his own lyrics as his shaking voice steadily grew more confident.

_“True_

_We’re denied the sun and moon_

_But we do not have to fear_

_We have each other now…”_

Napstaton’s words begin to falter and slow as his battery drains its last drops.

_“Fa la la…_ la……la…”

As the robot shuts down, you hum the final chorus and walk away from the stage. A thousand voices echo you even after you fall silent.

* * *

Undyne lets you and the Skeleton Brothers leave without any fuss. To your satisfaction, she flinches at the look you level at her and looks away with guilt highlighting her features.

With your identity spread throughout the Underground, the only direction to move is forward. You have an agreement to fulfill with Sans, after all, and you have a feeling that Alphys wouldn’t be as patient.

* * *

It’s surprisingly easy to get separated from Sans and Papyrus, not that it was ever your intention. Alphys had served as a dangerous distraction that separated you from the brothers the moment you stepped into Hotland. Now, you’re trying your best to stay alive as mercenaries and royal guardsmen alike gun for your soul.

“This is it. We’re doomed. Toast.”

***You tell Temmie that she’s not helping. At all.**

“Hmf! I suppose that _I_ should help you out since _I’m_ obviously stronger than you.”

***You tell Asriel that _he_ isn’t helping either as he’s the one responsible for drawing the mercenaries and guard’s attention onto you the first place.**

“Toast,” Temmie repeats as one of the monsters manage to get in a lucky shot.

* * *

You’re standing in front of a mirror again. Your own face stares back but this time, you catch sight of a knife. The dust doesn’t dull the blade’s shine as a grin stretches across your face from cheek to cheek.

**“It’s me.”**

You wake up, shaking in Geno’s lap. It’s become a sort of a pattern except your nightmares have evolved this time. You think that he senses that too. Still, Geno doesn’t push or ask. He only hums his comforting tune as he rocks you.

_“feel all the crunchy winter snow on the ground. that’s the kind of life you live in snowdin town…”_

With a flush, you fly off of his lap and cover your face as Geno teasingly continues to sing your rendition of his tune. You forget about your nightmares as you try to get your friend to _stop singing._

* * *

It takes three more deaths before this timeline’s version of Grillby comes flouncing in to save you. (And yes, you do mean _flouncing_.) With a twirl of his umbrella and a tip of his tophat, he sends all the mercs fleeing in fear.

You learn later as you munch on some fries that Sans had hired Grillby to rescue and bring you back to him. As his most favored accidental customer to his food truck, Grillby took the Captain’s request over the bounty over your head. 

You can’t help but smile as Sans and Papyrus fuss over you upon your reunion. You’re just as equally relieved to see that they aren’t harmed from their fight with Alphys.

But then, Sans’ eyelights land on Asriel and all warmth seem to curdle into something more reserved and bitter. Papyrus places a warning hand on his brother’s shoulder as if to hold him back.

“YOUR HIGHNESS. WHAT A…PLEASANT SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE. WITH MY APPRENTICE NO LESS.” Asriel bristles at the Captain’s tone. Sans ignores this and shows the young prince his back – the ultimate insult, you were taught. “WELL. I WON’T BOTHER YOU WITH MY PRESENCE LONGER THAN I SHOULD. HUMAN, COME.”

***You thank Asriel for helping you get this far.**

He brightens at your praise only to have it crushed by a derisive scoff.

“YOU MEAN HE FOLLOWED YOU AROUND AND MADE A NUISIANCE OF HIMSELF,” Sans guesses spitefully. “HE MOST LIKELY NEARLY GOT YOU KILLED MANY TIMES, DIDN’T HE? NO, DON’T TRY TO DEFEND HIM, HUMAN. YOUR EXPRESSION IS A CONFIRMATION ENOUGH.”

“I didn’t get them hurt, Captain Trashbag! Look! They’re fine!”

Sans finally whirls around to laugh at Asriel’s face. “ _OF COURSE_ , THE HUMAN IS FINE! DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THEM! DESPTE YOUR IRRITATING AND DISRUPTIVE PRESENCE, _MY_ APPRENTICE IS _MORE THAN CAPABLE_ OF FENDING FOR THEMSELVES!”

He points at him.

“ _YOU_ ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A STUNTED RUNT WITH A TITLE.”

Asriel flushes at the insult. “At least _I’m_ not the one mom replaced! I bet Alphys is way more important than you ever were!”

“OH? AND WHERE IS THE _IMPORTANT_ LIEUTENANT ALPHYS NOW? HMM? ISN’T SHE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING OVER YOU? WHERE ARE _ANY_ OF THE GUARDS? OH. RIGHT,” Sans sneers, “THEY’RE TOO BUSY LOOKING FOR THE HUMAN TO BOTHER DEALING WITH YOU. EVEN HER MAJESTY DOESN’T MAKE YOU HER FIRST PRIORITY. HENCE, THE BODYGUARDS. AM I WRONG?”

“bro,” Papyrus quietly admonishes from the side, “don’t.”

But Sans is on a roll. Acid continues to drip from every calculated word as the Captain renders the prince into a sobbing mess. You try to step in to stop this but Sans beats you to the punch.

“YOU’VE HAD YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE YOURSELF TO YOUR ROYAL MOTHER YEARS AGO, PRINCE ASRIEL. PERHAPS, INSTEAD OF CAUSING TROUBLE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU, YOU CAN JUST _STAY OUT OF THE WAY_ AND _DISAPPEAR_.”

***(Asriel runs away.)**

…

***(A tense silence stretches between you and Sans. You still hear Asriel’s sobs ringing in your ears. You are filled with Disappointment.)**

***You tell Sans “I thought you were better than that.”**

Not waiting to see hear his response, you rush away to find Asriel.

* * *

You find Asriel right at the bridge of the CORE. You know instinctively that he’s planning to jump. You approach him carefully, trying to find a chance to grab him and drag him away from the endless drop that looked dark, darker, yet darker.

You feel Temmie’s anxiety as she begins to shake uncontrollably on your shoulder. “No, no, no, **that idiot**. Don’t let him jump. Don’t you _dare_ let him jump.”

“Go away!” Asriel sobs, sounding so fragile and soft. His bravado is gone, and you wonder if it was really just an act. “Captain Trashbag is right. I-I only make trouble for people around me. I’m still weak no matter how hard I try. Mom doesn’t care about me anymore. No one does. It really is better if I disappeared.”

***You tell Asriel that it isn’t true at all. You tell him that Sans just being mean. You care, you insist. You care if he jumps very much.**

“Why do you even care?” He warbles. “You probably jumped too. “Travelers who climb Mt.Ebott are said to disappear". That’s why you’re here, right? Because you wanted to disappear?”

***You can’t speak for Chara since they’re not – well, you can’t speak for them. But you make it clear that it wasn’t for a happy reason.**

“Just like Frisk,” Asriel sighs and you flinch at the sound of your name, “but you’re not Frisk. They’re gone. MK is gone too. And that’s all because I wasn’t brave and strong enough. I’m weak and alone and it’s all my fault.”

“No,” Temmie whimpers, “no it wasn’t your fault. You were the best out of the three of us. Frisk and I were the idiots. We kept you out of it on purpose so you wouldn’t have to – I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Azz.”

You have to do something.

**ACT:**

***Offer your hand *Do not**

***You offer your hand and tell Asriel that he’s not alone. You’re here because of his help and you’d like to be his friend.**

Tentatively, Asriel takes it. “I…I never really got your name.”

***You give him Chara’s name. It’s only right.**

“Howdy, Chara.”

Alphys chooses that moment to barge in, flanked by Bratty and Catty. The suddenness of her appearance causes Asriel to wobble and slip. Thankfully, you already have his hand. You tighten your grip and try to pull him up. But, much to your surprise and terror, Alphys doesn’t seem to care about Asriel’s predicament and throws an axe-attack at you anyways.

Your eyes widen as you’re caught off-balance. You can catch yourself, but that would mean letting go of Asriel.

**ACT:**

***Let go *Hold on**

***You don’t want to let go.**

Before the two of you could completely tumble off the ledge, someone catches you both by your striped sweaters, yanking you away from the pit.

“gotcha, kids,” Papyrus manages to heave out.

Behind him, Sans continues his fight with Alphys and her subordinates.

* * *

“…APPRENTICE, _WHAT_ ARE YOU DOING?”

“Yeah, Chara, _what are you doing_?!” Temmie hisses at your ear. “You’re smarter than this! Don’t throw your life away for this turd! She tried to kill you!”

The Captain practically radiates with offense as you stand in front of the downed Alphys, blocking him from striking the final blow. Though you don’t risk breaking eye contact with the skeleton in front of you, you can feel her disbelief.

***You tell Sans that he doesn’t have to kill Alphys. You ask him to show Mercy.**

“SHE NEARLY COMMITTED REGICIDE WITH HER CARELESSNESS. SHE SHOWED BLATANT DISRESPECT TO HER SUPERIOR BY RAISING HER AXE AGAINST ME. WORSE YET, IN HER GREED, SHE HAS TRIED TO KILL YOU. REPEATEDLY,” he reminds you. “WHY SHOULD I SPARE HER?”

***You point out that, despite her shortcomings, you can see that Alphys is very much respected in the Royal Guard. Her death would most likely cause instability, which would only harm Sans in the long run. As an alternative, you offer a suggestion: an alliance – a truce that tips to his favor if Sans prefers.**

***(You can see how Bratty and Catty lighten up with hope at your suggestion. Despite the threat that Alphys poses and the mistakes that she had made, death is not the answer. You are filled with Justice.)**

Sans falters at your words.

***Besides, you add with a peculiar smile, you remember Sans agreeing to Spare a certain human because he saw potential in them.**

Instead of scolding you for your cheek as you thought he would, the Captain of the Royal Guard throws his head back and laughs.

* * *

Tired from the ordeal, you and Asriel curl up on Alphys’ couch as Sans and Alphys iron out the terms of their new alliance. While the prince conks out almost immediately, sleep doesn’t come as easily to you. As you try to rest, you overhear a conversation.

“You know Her Majesty already knows about them, right?”

“I AM AWARE, LIEUTENANT.”

“Look, I know that you have a soft spot for the human – hey, don’t look at me like that, Captain, it’s not like it’s a secret or anything by the way you brag about them to everyone – but you know you have a duty to the kingdom, right?”

The silence that follows is heavy.

“The little punk earned my respect and the respect of my squadron. That’s not so easy, you know. They have a lot of guts and they’re a good influence for the prince. Believe it or not, I don’t want them to die just as much as you do.” Alphys’ gruff voice softens, much to your surprise. “Look, I’ll stall for you, but you have to bring them to Her Majesty eventually.”

“NO NEED. I WILL BRING THEM TO HER MAJESTY AFTER THEY WAKE.”

Temmie shifts in your arms, taking your attention away from the conversation. “Yo, I know you’re still awake,” she whispers, “and I want to say…you know the Captain really cares about you, right? If he could, he’d probably train you as his apprentice for your entire life and never turn you over to the Queen. Even I can see that. So don’t feel bad.”

***You thank Temmie for comforting you.**

* * *

You decide to change things up on your own again by heading back to Waterfall to attempt to befriend Undyne before facing the Queen. Asriel, eager and happy about his new title of being you friend, helps you sneak out of Alphys’ house and leads you to the nearest waterway.

“Tra la la, beware of the man who speaks in hands.”

For some odd reason, you feel a bolt of fear when hearing the warning.

Noticing your reaction, Asriel is quick to assuage your fears. “Oh, them? That’s Dr. River. Don’t worry, they say weird stuff like that all the time. They used to be the Royal Scientist until the accident involving the CORE. Apparently, whatever happened knocked a few screws loose. Now, they just ferry monsters through the Underground as the Riverperson.” Asriel turns to them. “Hey, Doc. Anything to say to me today?”

“Tra la la, in another world, you are a flower.”

“See? Completely bonkers.”

* * *

When you step into Undyne’s lab, you pass a group of Waterfall monsters, surprisingly free of any weaponized limbs and other threatening enhancement. They look lighter and happier. Somehow, you convince Asriel to return to Hotland as you move forward alone. You find Undyne working meticulously on taking off an enhancement off of Aaron.

“…Do you believe that someone like me can become a hero?”

***You tell Undyne that she’s already on her way there.**

* * *

When Sans and Alphys barge into the lab, Undyne surprises you by stepping in front of you defensively and summoning a spear. You stand awkwardly while supporting one of the Amalgamates as she hashes it out with the Royal Guard.

“Ngahhh!! I won’t hand my new bestie over to chumps like you! They deserve so much better than this!”

You nearly jump when a hand lands on your shoulder. You look up to see Papyrus. He raises a finger to his teeth as he leads you (and the Amalgamate) away from the battle. “look, we don’t have much time. i have a friend behind the door to the ruins. he said that he could take care of you. you can stay with him while everything blows over.”

***You ask Papyrus about him and Sans. You ask him about the deal.**

“don’t worry about it. bro and i can take care of ourselves. but _you._ you need to live. ‘dyne is right. you deserve so much better than this after everything you’ve ever done for us.”

***You don’t understand. You haven’t done anything –**

You’re cut off by the sound of singing. You slowly turn to see many screens that showed various parts of the Underground. To your surprise, you see Snowdin with lights and smiles. You see monsters in Waterfall happier and lighter. You see the Royal Guard working together instead of against each other.

And they’re all singing a familiar tune.

“see what i mean? you changed us. you helped us. so now, let us try to help you too.”

You barely manage to hold back your tears as you continue to watch. You had wanted to change the Underground for the better, but you didn’t expect it to happen so quickly or for the monsters to take to the change so easily.

“Not yet,” you hear Temmie whisper and you agree. Not yet. Nothing is for certain until you get to the root of the problem and you can’t do that behind locked Ruin doors.

***You tell Papyrus to bring you back to Sans. You need to see the Queen.**

***(You are filled with Justice.)**

* * *

The Judgement Hall is solemn and beautiful when you and Sans cross it. Temmie is silent in your arms, yet there is no panic in her body language. She has complete faith in you, and it touches you.

Sans stops mid-way and turns to you. “This place used to have so much weight. Monsters would be Judged before meeting the King. The Queen hasn’t ever appointed a Judge during her reign.” He kneels down to your level and pins something onto your sweater. Your eyes widen when you recognize the deltarune pin. “I think that you would have made a wonderful one. If you weren’t already a Junior Guard Member, of course.”

Regret pulls at his features and it looks so horribly out of place on your mentor’s expression.

“I’m sorry.”

***You tell Sans that everything is going to be okay. You throw in a pun about how no obstacle or enemy can “pin” you down for very long.**

You take Sans’ surprised snort as a mark of victory.

* * *

When you finally face Queen Toriel, you can see why the Underground is the way it is. She’s gaunt and harsh as she regards you apathetically. Where you had expected motherly warmth and barely repressed sorrow, all you can see is bitterness. She reminds you of the tree in front of Home, all bare of its leaves and gnarled.

“Mother,” you think you hear Temmie murmur.

“Human, you have the honor of being the final soul that will finally set my children free,” Queen Toriel states callously. You ready yourself for the battle that is to come. To your surprise, Toriel does not leave her throne. Instead, she turns her gaze over to Sans. “Execute them, Captain.”

“I REFUSE.”

The Queen’s cold and confident expression shatters at Sans’ refusal. It quickly turns into anger. “What? You dare disobey your queen, Captain?”

“THE UNDERGROUND HAS NO QUEEN OR MOTHER. IT HASN’T FOR A LONG TIME,” Sans states simply. “DR. UNDYNE, LIEUTENANT ALPHYS, AND I HAVE AGREED THAT YOU ARE NO LONGER SUITABLE FOR THE THRONE. I SUGGEST YOU ABDICATE PEACEFULLY BEFORE THE PEOPLE COME IN TO DRAG YOU DOWN THEMSELVES.”

Already you can hear the sounds of many feet approaching the throne room. They’re all humming a familiar tune as they draw closer. Toriel realizes this too as her expression turns more and more unstable and unhinged at the prospect of defeat. She clutches at her head as she shakes her head in denial. Then, her eyes land on you and her expression turns ugly.

“You just want me to suffer, don’t you?”

“Chara,” Temmie cries out, “watch out!”

Before you can even react, Queen Toriel descends upon you and the world goes dark.

* * *

It’s almost like your nightmares except, this time, there is no mirror and there is no knife. Your copy faces you with a tentative smile. “Hi. My name is Frisk. But you already know that, don’t you?”

At your feet, Toriel lets out a choked sound and reaches out to your double. “My child–!”

Frisk ignores her completely, stepping around the monster they used to call their mother. They stop right in front of you. “Wow,” they marvel, “it’s like standing in front of a mirror.”

You take the chance to look at yourself and express surprise when it’s not Chara’s body you see but your original form. You quickly start looking around for Chara.

“You’re looking for the original owner of the body, right?” Frisk sounds sympathetic. “They didn’t make it after the fall. Their soul is still here, sure, but their consciousness has been gone long before you came into the picture. I’m sorry.”

You try not to cry.

Toriel, on the other hand, does cry. She cries a lot.

“Hey.” You look up at your double. “How about we erase this world, you and me? I mean, look at what _she_ had reduced it to.” At this, Frisk finally acknowledges their mother, sending a disappointed look that renders the Queen of Monsters into another sobbing fit. “Monsters used to be so empathetic and open to love before I died. Now, they’re ruled by greed and fear. Erasing them would be a mercy.”

Frisk echoes the same offer that a version of Chara had offered you once before. The culmination of the very fears that form your nightmares is playing out right in front of you. And…

Well, to be honest, it’s a bit underwhelming. Frisk, you find, does not carry the same deep-seated hatred and fervor that Chara had. Perhaps it’s because you’re both the same person, but you can tell that they don’t believe in their own cause.

***You tell Frisk that they don’t really mean that. They love their family. They care for the Underground. They would choose Mercy over a Fight every time. They do not want this world to be Erased. They love it too much for that to happen.**

***(You have activated skill: TRUTH! Stops a fight before it begins by turning name yellow if the opponent is conflicted)**

“You’re right,” Frisk concedes easily, stepping away from you. “I used to be so sure about this route, but now…I don’t want to do it anymore.” They look down sadly. “I’m being indecisive again. I really am a horrible person, aren’t I?”

“No! Frisk, you’re not!”

MK, complete and whole thanks to the six souls, comes into the scene by performing a spectacular face-plant onto the floor in his haste to reach his sibling. Frisk meets him halfway and hugs him. They cry.

Toriel watches her children, both lost and yearning to join in the reunion but keeping her distance all the same. Without all the bitterness, the Queen only looked sad.

“Once we return, I will willingly abdicate the throne,” she tells you, resignation heavy on her shoulders, “I will not stand in the way of your happiness. My expectations, my loneliness, my fear…for my children and my kingdom, I will put them aside. I…was wrong.”

The barrier is shattered, and everyone leaves. Even Frisk makes preparations to leave, but you stop them.

***You tell Frisk to wait. You need to speak to them about something.**

* * *

As promised, Toriel abdicates from the throne, handing over the power to the people. Sans, along with Undyne and Alphys, immediately begin abolishing the Queen’s laws, replacing them with something far more merciful and reminiscent to the old ways. The Underground isn’t ready to move up to the Surface, but you know Sans is doing his best to prepare them as quickly as he can so they can all see the sun.

Meanwhile, you show Toriel around the new Underground. You can tell that she’s shocked by the changes that you made. Snowdin Town hits her the most with its warmth and lights. Beside her, Asriel laughs and plays with the other children.

And then, you see Papyrus. He waves at you with a fanged grin before making way for another figure. You hear Toriel’s breath catch as Asgore comes into view. They both have much to talk about, you can tell, but you think no more of it as Asriel pulls you away to play.

* * *

***(Finally, the monsters of the Underground are ready to reach the Surface. Your goal has been achieved. You have made your choices and you have no intention to take any of them back. You accept any consequence or reward that may come with this decision. You are filled with Justice.)**

The RESET button shatters under your fist.

“I’ll take good care of them,” Frisk promises as they step into Chara’s body just as you leave it. You didn’t want to leave behind a corpse for your friends to find after all. Frisk looks at you curiously. “Are you sure you don’t want to see the Surface before you leave?”

***You thank Frisk for their offer, but you refuse. It’s time for you to go.**

“Alright.” Frisk – no, _Chara_ accepts your answer. They turn away and leave to join the others. You distantly hear the voices of many monsters singing.

_“Love,_

_When we see the sky above_

_It’s the thing we’re dreaming of_

_When from this world we’ve flown.”_

You take a step back and open your eyes to the Save Screen. As always, Geno greets you on the other side.

“you good, kid?”

***You tell Geno that you’re fine.**

***You mean it this time.**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song referenced throughout this chapter is pretty much the "Snowdin" theme. The lyrics are from ["Snowdin Carol"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZvDgm7FHsk) from Undertale the Musical. Check it out it's obviously something made with a lot of love.
> 
> Here are additional links to headcannons/artworks/voice acting that inspired me as I wrote this chapter:  
> skesgo - Plum and Glaze’s Past, characterization and appearance [Here](https://skesgo.tumblr.com/post/185244978866/glaze-and-plums-past-swapfell)  
> Temmie Characterization [Here](https://crowfry.tumblr.com/post/158596606401/based-off-this-vine-so-what-if-swapfell-and)  
> Temmie Plushie Backstory and some cute MK and Frisk Sibling interaction [Here](https://okayitsasideblog.tumblr.com/post/177707809350/cmon-itll-be-fun)  
> Temmie is Peridot [Here](https://okayitsasideblog.tumblr.com/post/177817129119/tem-why)  
> Alphys and Undyne appearance [Here](https://hakkids.tumblr.com/post/183236482783)


	9. Perseverance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the world of Storyshift, everything is swapped around again except you. Back in an Underground that's cheerful, everything seems like smooth sailing to you and your purple soul. You know, if you actually decided to leave the Ruins. That's right. You're weak to Sad Papyrus. You think Geno would understand if you stayed a little longer.
> 
> Speaking of Geno, you're having strange dreams about him speaking with something in the dark. But those are just dreams, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop: Storyshift!
> 
> It's a universe created by [voltrathelively](https://www.reddit.com/user/voltrathelively) . Similar to the concept of Underswap, it switches the characters around into different roles. Unlike Underswap, though, the characters completely retain their original personalities and goals despite the shift. While there's a reboot currently under works, I'm going to focus more on the canceled version since it has a special place in my heart. The only aspect of the Reboot I'm actually going to depict in my spin on this AU will be Boogie's characterization, which I'm not even sure I got right.
> 
> Who's Boogie?
> 
> Well...you'll see.
> 
> **Warning: References to Past Attempted Suicide, Past Self-harm**

“hey, look. another souvenir,” Geno teases you as he plucks the deltarune pin from your sweater. His expression softens. “well. look at that. seems like something else came along with you too.”

***(A familiar locket hangs around your neck. How lucky. This gift that you had cherished so much managed to come with you. You decide to keep it with you.)**

“so. ready for your next adventure?”

You nod enthusiastically. Three more universes left. You can do this.

“good luck, kid.”

You step through.

* * *

You fall face-first into a bed of golden flowers.

As always, the first thing you do after you right yourself is to check your stats.

**“Frisk”**

**LV 1**

**HP 20/20**

**AT 0 (0) EXP: 0**

**DF 0 (0) NEXT:10**

**WEAPON: Stick**

**ARMOR: Bandage**

**GOLD: 0**

You’re relieved when you read your own name. You don’t think that you can bear being “Chara” again so soon. You climb onto your feet, **Deter ~~mined~~ **to get through this run successfully. Finishing it quickly on the other hand…you’ve learned after your last run that it might be too optimistic to expect something like that.

When you move to the next room, you’re almost thrown off by the sight of Flowey. For a brief moment, you wonder if you and Geno were wrong. Maybe you’re in Geno’s timeline already.

You draw closer and your doubts settle when you take note of the flower’s drooping petals and his withdrawn expression. By now, the Flowey in Geno’s timeline would have been all smiles and cheer to lull you into a false sense of security. This flower isn’t even trying as you come up to him.

“Oh. Hi,” the flower greets half-heartedly, “I’m Boogie. I’m a flower. I guess.”

***(You are suddenly filled with Confusion.)**

“A human, huh. Gee, you must be awfully disoriented from the fall. I guess it’s up to me to show you how things work around here. Ready? Because, um, I’m not.” Boogie completely fails to notice your mounting bewilderment – or doesn’t really care – as he pulls you into an Encounter.

You stare at the purple soul floating in front of you as Boogie drones on. You’ve heard all of this before, so you ignore him in favor of gathering information yourself. You decide to Check Boogie to see what sort of monster you’re dealing with this time around. A friend to guide you around? A foe to hinder you at every turn?

**CHECK:**

**BOOGIE – ATK ??? DEF ???**

***Hides under passiveness and petals**

***(He already made his own conclusions about you.)**

_Crack_

The CHECK menu shatters in front of you as a magic bullet tears right through the ACT button. While his expression doesn’t shift noticeably, a sense of foreboding creeps into your soul as he tilts his head. “You don’t need that, human. It’s pretty useless when you’re trying to Fight for your life. Actually –

Two more bullets shoot out, shattering the FIGHT and ITEM buttons.

“ – those are pretty useless too.”

***You ask Boogie what he’s trying to do.**

“I’m trying to help you, I guess. I mean, it’s probably not that great of an advice when it comes from a flower like me, heh. Still. You should probably listen. It’s pretty dangerous out there.” Boogie offers you a shaky smile. And yet his eyes are so wide and empty, empty, empty. “Fellow ghosts should stick together, right?”

Growing more and more confused and uncomfortable with Boogie, you decide to turn to your remaining button and escape from the unnecessary simulation.

**MERCY:**

***Spare *Flee**

“Wait. Don’t go. We still have so much to talk about.”

Boogie shatters your last button before you can make your choice.

“There. No more unnecessary distractions or running. It’ll be just you and me now.”

Before you can try anything else, a bone attack strikes Boogie and shakes you out of the Encounter. Your savior heroically poses dramatically after he comes out of the shadows.

“DO NOT FEAR, HUMAN! IT IS I! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HERE TO RESCUE YOU!”

* * *

You don’t know if it’s because of Papyrus’ presence, but the Ruins feel so much more exciting in this run. The puzzles and traps that you face are far more challenging and engaging. It also helps that Papyrus is unfailingly enthusiastic about your achievements.

You enjoy yourself as he remains by your side the entire time, mindful that you’ve just been recently attacked by a “TROUBLESOME WEED” as Papyrus puts it. And honestly? You’re more shaken by the experience than you would’ve liked so you appreciate his consideration.

When you both finally reach Home, Papyrus sweeps you into an impromptu pasta-making session, which ends with a mess of crushed tomatoes, overboiled noodles, and yelling. Overall, it’s wonderful and you settle into your new bed with a smile on your face.

* * *

You’re back in the Save Screen. You look around in confusion as you try to understand how you’ve died. You see that Geno is just ahead of you and his back is turned. In front of him is a screen though the contents of it is unclear from your viewpoint.

***You call out to Geno.**

***…**

***…?**

***(Geno doesn’t respond.)**

You try to trot over to Geno’s side, but no matter how much you try, you’re stuck in place.

Something moves in the shadows near Geno’s feet. You –

You open your eyes.

Were you…were you dreaming again?

You try to relax at the revelation. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t even a nightmare. It’s just a very, very strange dream. So why do you feel so uneasy?

* * *

Maybe it’s the excitement leaving your system or because of the strange dream you just had, but you come to a jarring realization:

Sans isn’t here.

His absence is painfully clear after you notice. The halls and rooms are perfectly clean and sockless. You can’t find a single ketchup bottle in the fridge, not even a small packet. The bookshelves, though filled to the brim with Junior Jumble and crossword puzzles, doesn’t have a single Jokebook – not even one hidden within a Quantum Physics textbook, which is also not there.

It feels wrong. The Skeleton Brothers have always been inseparable. So where is Sans now?

You don’t ask Papyrus. You’re too scared of the answer to actively search for it.

* * *

Good news is: Sans isn’t dead or nonexistent in this timeline.

Bad news is: Sans is the King of Monsters and he will almost certainly kill you dead where you stand. He’s already done that to all of Papyrus’ other human friends.

* * *

You decide to stay in the Ruins after just one (1) attempt to leave. It’s Papyrus’ willingness to help you move forward on the get go despite his growing anxieties that changes your mind. The thought of leaving him all alone so soon overpowered any desire to move forward. You think that Geno would understand.

Papyrus’ overwhelming joy convinces you that you made the right decision.

* * *

Partway through your first week after deciding to stay with Papyrus, you meet another familiar face.

Well, er, maybe not _face_ since it’s all covered up with a white sheet, but you recognize Alphys’ voice all the same when she cries out in fear upon seeing you. “Hu-Human! Oh no. Oh no no no no!”

It’s only thanks to your quick reflexes after many surprise deaths that you manage to dodge magical volts of lightning she sends at you through her blind panic. To both of your horror, the lightning attack continues and sails toward a group of Whimsums.

“Wa-WATCH OUT!” Alphys cries out.

***(You’re limited to the rules of the Encounter. There is nothing you can do but watch the poor Whimsums get hurt.)**

***(…No.)**

***(No, that’s not right. You begin to _push_ against the boundaries placed in front of you. It doesn’t move at first, but you Persevere. You feel something break through the box and stretch out to Alphys’ attack.)**

***(You have activated skill: STRING! You can bring anything within your vision to you.)**

Strings shoot out and catch the attacks, streaming them all back to your direction. You manage to dodge most of them, but wince when one grazes your soul.

**-3HP**

“Oh n-no! Are you okay? No wait, of course you’re not. God, I’m such a screw up,” Alphys bemoans before bursting into tears.

It took a bit of work and a lot of cheering up, but you end up returning Home gaining a new friend that day.

* * *

“FRISK! THERE IS SOMEONE I WOULD LIKE YOU TO MEET!”

You let Papyrus drag you to wherever with an excited grin. Both of you pass by many monsters, who either wave in greeting or coo at how you and Papyrus match perfectly.

Since you’re too short to wear the signature “Keeper of the Ruins” robes like Papyrus, he took it upon himself to make a sweater version for you. It’s not perfect, but it’s obviously made with much love. You wear the sweater every day with pride.

As you both begin to descend down the stairs to the basement, you grow more and more confused. Didn’t Papyrus want you to meet someone? Then why…?

You nearly smack yourself for being so forgetful when you both reach the door that leads out of the Ruins. _Of course._ Who else could it be but the voice behind the door? Still, you’re moved by Papyrus’ willingness to bring you so close to the exit. His faith in your promise to stay and eagerness to share his friends warms your heart.

“FRIEND BEHIND THE DOOR! I HAVE BROUGHT ANOTHER FRIEND!” Papyrus proclaims excitedly. You hear someone shift at the other side of the door.

***You say “Hello!”**

“Greetings. I am Chara. Frisk, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally have a voice to match the description.”

You and Chara hit it off almost immediately, much to Papyrus’ unending joy.

* * *

“So,” You hear Chara drawl out behind the door on a day without Papyrus, “ever think of coming out sometime? Your guardian is fun and great and all, but I’m sure it gets a little boring as the only kid there. I have a brother who really wants to meet you.”

***You tell Chara that if you step out of the Ruins, you leave for good.**

Chara let out a sigh. “And you have no intention to leave him behind,” they finish knowingly. “I’m a little disappointed, I admit, but I can’t fault you for loving your guardian enough to stay in place.”

***You ask Chara why they never call “your guardian” by his name when they obviously know who he is.**

“Plausible deniability.”

* * *

You’re back in the Save Screen. Once again, you’re stuck in one place and forced to watch what’s transpiring in front of you. You know it’s merely a dream, but you can’t help but feel helpless.

Geno is upset. He’s arguing with someone. But who? Isn’t it just you and him in the Save Screen?

No, you realize as you see the shadows move near Geno once again, no _there’s something else there._ You remember those moments when you felt like you weren’t alone. And you _weren’t_. 

Just as you realize this, the shadows shift once again and something

steps

out.

* * *

You begin a pen pal correspondence with Asriel after Chara fails to draw you out of the Ruins. Papyrus appears happy for you too when you tell him about your new friendship with Chara’s brother.

“AH YES, THEY HAVE MENTIONED HAVING A BROTHER! I HEAR HE’S TRAINING HARD TO BE PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD! WHAT AN ADMIRABLE GOAL! TO SERVE AND PROTECT THE…THE KING…” You tilt your head when Papyrus’ ever-bright smile wavers. “…FRISK, YOU MUST PROMISE ME SOMETHING.”

Papyrus asks you to keep your human identity a secret from Asriel. “IT’S NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO LIE,” he assures you hastily, “JUST LEAVE IT OUT IN YOUR FRIEND LETTERS.”

_So Sans won’t know about you_ , you can hear, _so you won’t die. Like the others._

***You wonder if Papyrus is angry at his brother for what he’s done. It’s surreal to even consider, but his refusal to talk about Sans whenever you ask makes you wonder. You wonder if he would forgive him.**

You promise. It’s no great loss, anyways. In your letters, you ask more questions than you answer them. Other than Chara, Asriel is the only doorway to the rest of the Underground and you intend to learn as much as you can.

And oh, you learn. Asriel, you find, is a complete _mine_ of information, being the son of the Captain of the Royal Guard _and_ the Royal Scientist. Whenever he talks about his training, he praises his mother and her strength. Whenever he talks about his puzzles, he boasts that he’ll catch up to his father’s intellect. He rambles on and on about his favorite celebrity: Undyne! The cyborg-fish hero who’s also his dad’s apprentice.

But, more importantly, you learn that this Asriel is a complete sweetheart, whose greatest wish is to LARP with you and Chara and for his parents to talk to each other again.

_“They just refuse to talk to each other after we found out about what Dad was hiding in the Lab,”_ he writes and you know exactly what he’s referring to, _“Mom just won’t forgive him, and Dad won’t forgive himself. But never fear! This is just another test for the Amazing Asriel! With my strengths and smarts, I’m sure I can fix this. I just need to prove myself first.”_

Your soul aches upon seeing how much this is affecting Asriel. For a moment, you wish you can do more, to help –

But that would require leaving. And you can’t. Not yet.

* * *

“You’re not going through the doors.”

You don’t know how Boogie managed to sneak all the way inside Home.

“Why aren’t you going through the doors? Every human did. Papyrus never really tries too hard to make them stay. So why? There’s nothing worth staying for in here.”

You don’t answer him. Instead, you’re trying to find the best escape path. _Flee_. And get help. Get Papyrus. You don’t want to get stuck with Boogie again. You don’t know why, but he scares you far more than Flowey and Temmie ever had. It’s his eyes. You don’t recognize the emotion in them but, whatever it was, it makes you want to run.

Boogie’s petals tremble a little. It takes you a moment to realize he’s _laughing._ “Oh. I see. I should’ve known. You’re just like me, after all. You just need some encouragement. To move forward.”

To your horror, you’re pulled into another Encounter. This time, you’re surrounded by the magical bullets. You’re trapped in place and you can’t reach the buttons. You cry out in fear. “No need to hide anymore. I know what you are – just like how you know what I am.”

***You ask Boogie what he means by that.**

“A ghost using a lifeless, empty husk to masquerade as something you’re not.” Boogie tilts his head when you react. “I’m starting to get tired of your act. There’s nothing that you _really_ have to be afraid of, is there?”

The bullets hit your soul, one by one, making you whimper at the pain as your HP drops lower and lower.

**HP 10/20**

**-3HP**

**HP 7/20**

**-3HP**

**HP 4/20**

**-3HP**

**HP 1/20**

***You demand Boogie to stop. He’s going to kill you if he continues this.**

“Don’t worry. You’ll come back. We always do.”

***(You feel your soul beginning to crack. You see the familiar darkness creeping up as your HP dips down to 0. And yet, your SOUL rebels against the thought of shattering. It Refuses. It Perseveres.)**

**HP 1/20**

***(You have activated skill: WILL! The ability to keep HP above 0 with Perseverance.)**

“Huh. That’s new.”

Before Boogie can do anything else, a defensive cage of bone attacks circle around you, protecting you from any more loss of HP. You nearly cry with relief when Papyrus reveals himself, looking very disappointed with Boogie.

“HALT, WEED! YOU SHALL HURT FRISK NO FURTHER!”

The flower hastily flees, but not without sending out a torrent of bullets at Papyrus’ way. A few hit him, sending the skeleton onto his knees. He smiles at you comfortingly through his pain when you rush over to check on him. “DO NOT WORRY, FRISK! IT’S NOTHING THAT CAN’T BE FIXED WITH SPAGHETTI!”

***You ask Papyrus if he’s sure he’s fine.**

“OF COURSE! I’LL GET BETTER BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!”

* * *

He doesn’t.

* * *

You watch as Papyrus’ health gets progressively worse no matter how much he insists otherwise. By the time he becomes too weak to even leave his bed, you decide to take things to your own hands and turn to someone who can help: Alphys.

The reclusive lizard monster manages to temporarily stabilize Papyrus’ condition, but she tells you that she can’t resolve the heart of the issue without the right tools and workplace.

“We’ll need to go to the Lab. We might even need the Royal Scientist’s help.”

Completely ignoring Papyrus’ cries of “I’M FINE! THIS RISKY EXCURSION IS COMPLETELY UNNECCESSARY!”, you and Alphys carry the stubborn skeleton past the exit of the Ruins and into snow.

A hoodie-wearing Chara meets you on the other side, posed to knock on the door. They stare at the three of you in shock.

“…Frisk?”

***You call for help.**

Chara snaps out of their shock and immediately comes over to help support Papyrus. “Don’t worry. I know someone who can help. But first, let’s get you all somewhere warm.”

* * *

“Don’t worry, Frisk! Chara’s gone with Miss Alphys to get Dad.” Asriel Dremurr assures you sweetly as he leads you away from Papyrus’ bedside. You take one last worried look at his unconscious form on the couch. It’s unsettling to see him so still and inactive. “He’s the smartest monster Underground. If there’s anyone who can make Mr. Papyrus better, it’s him!”

He takes you over to his room and gestures over to his shooting-star themed bed. “You should rest too, Frisk. Golly, you look exhausted. I need to leave to make my report to the Captain, but call me if you need anything, okay?”

* * *

The Save Screen is a mess of bones and broken Gaster Blasters. At the center of it all is Geno. He’s staring at the screen again. This time, you can see what he’s watching, and it fills you with shame.

Papyrus protecting you. Papyrus getting hurt. Papyrus getting weaker and weaker. Papyrus on the couch looking far more drained than he should.

“no, no, no, no, not again, not paps, i can’t –

You jump in surprise at the sound of Geno’s voice. It’s clearer than it’s ever been in your dreams and you wonder if he can hear you now. A grinding, staticky noise cuts you off before you can even try.

The creature from the shadows steps out once again. It’s further away from Geno this time, much to your relief. And yet, a taunting grin stretches across its mask-like face, making your friend’s expression twist into cold rage.

**“ s h u t u p , ~~g a s t e r~~ ! ” **Geno snarls and throws a new barrage of attacks haphazardly.

One of them strikes you. You wake up.

* * *

Seeing that you wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep after _that,_ you hop out of bed and head downstairs to check on Papyrus again. You pause mid-way when you see the scene right in front of you.

Asgore and Toriel seem to be at some sort of awkward standoff, both looking like they regret being there but also too stubborn or prideful to be the one to leave first. Chara and Asriel are, unfortunately, caught in the crossfire.

“You and Mom usually have your meetings in Waterfall, Rei. _Why did you bring her here?!_ ” You hear Chara hiss to their brother. Asriel shrugs helplessly. “How was I supposed to know that Dad was going to do the checkup _here_?”

***You clear your throat.**

All eyes turn to you almost desperately, making you almost regret performing the action in the first place.

***You feebly ask Dr. Asgore if he can look at your guardian.**

“Of course,” Asgore agrees promptly, “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

* * *

A magical bullet embedded into Papyrus’ soul is what turns out to be the cause of the entire issue. For now, Asgore can do nothing but ensure that Papyrus remain stabilized before being moved to the Lab for surgery.

* * *

The house becomes far less stifling after Asgore leaves to drop Alphys off to Waterfall since Snowdin’s cold weather isn’t doing the poor reptile any favors. You volunteer to help Toriel cook dinner so Chara and Asriel can take their own breaks.

While preparing a batch of spaghetti and meatballs, you listen to Toriel as her apologies about the tense scene you had stumbled to shifts into a resigned confession about her loneliness without her children and, as reluctant as she is to admit it, her husband. As her famous Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie cools at the counter, she listens to your encouragement in taking the first steps to reconcile with her husband.

Toriel resolves to try but it ends up a bit harder than expected when dinner comes rolling around.

Asgore anxiously munches on his slice of pie, already done with his portion of spaghetti. “Your…pie tastes delicious as always, Tori…el, er Captain.”

“Thank you…Asgore…” Toriel takes a generous bite out of a jumbo meatball. “So…how is work in the Lab?”

Chara and Asriel wince and try to bury themselves into the food.

***(You feel the consequences of getting involved with a family issue crawling down your back. Awkwardness seems to be the main dish for dinner. Still, you Persevere and sip your golden flower tea.)**

* * *

Surprisingly, Toriel and Asgore manage to resolve their issues after they managed to get over their awkwardness. They talk. They explain their actions and try to understand the other. They apologize. They forgive.

When you leave the kitchen to give the Dremurr family their space, you stop and blink in surprise at seeing Papyrus awake.

“I AM GLAD THAT THE DREMURR FAMILY ARE NO LONGER FIGHTING,” he tells you as you draw closer. Though you can see that he’s genuinely happy for them, he also looks a little lost. “BUT I HAVE ALSO COME TO A REALIZATION THAT I AM NOT AS GREAT AS I HAVE BELIEVED MYSELF TO BE.”

***You cry out in dismay. You immediately tell Papyrus that it isn’t true. He is very Great.**

“I HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE BROTHER. I LEFT SANS ALL ALONE.”

You fall silent at that. Not because you agree with him by any means, but because this is the first time since you had attempted to leave the Ruins alone that Papyrus is willing to speak about Sans.

“EVER SINCE HE BECAME KING…SANS BECAME CLOSED OFF AND ALWAYS PRETENDED EVERYTHING WAS FINE. EVEN WHEN IT WASN’T. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WASN’T. NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED TO REACH OUT, HE KEPT PULLING AWAY. EVENTUALLY, I STOPPED TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY.”

Papyrus begins to tremble.

“PERHAPS…IF I HAD STAYED AND TALKED TO HIM…ALL MY HUMAN FRIENDS WHO HAD PASSED BY WOULDN’T HAVE –”

He chokes. Then, he begins to cry. You immediately wrap your arms around him.

***You tell Papyrus that it isn’t his fault. You also tell him that it’s fine to still believe in and love his brother despite what he had done.**

“I MISS HIM,” Papyrus tells you between hiccups, “BUT I DO NOT WANT HIM TO TAKE YOU AWAY TOO, FRISK. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO _DO._ ”

But you do.

You’re going to make sure King Sans is going to have a proper talk with his brother even if it kills you.

* * *

There’s a self-sustaining tornado of bone attacks and Gaster Blasters in the Save Screen. In the center of it all lies Geno, curled up and clutching at his scarf as if it is a lifeline. The creature from the shadows is no longer there.

Or perhaps it still is but hiding and waiting.

The attacks push you back at first. But then, you start fighting against it.

***(You Persevere.)**

You begin the all-too-familiar pattern of running and jumping as you weave your way through the mess. And yet, no matter how long you run, you don’t get any closer to Geno. He’s far and distant and reaching him seems impossible.

***(But you Persevere.)**

You push past whatever limits are holding you back. It takes work, but you begin to draw closer and closer to your friend. When you’re close enough, you reach out your hand and –

Wake up.

* * *

The next day, you tell everyone that you’re moving on ahead to fetch Alphys from Waterfall and bring her over to the Lab so she can help set up for the surgery. You plan to sneak away to the throne room after to speak with King Sans. You make sure to recruit Alphys to help cover for you.

Of course, things don’t go quite as planned.

“And where the _hell_ do you think you’re going, punk?”

You have to admit, Asriel’s fanboying descriptions of Undyne does have its merit. Her robotic prosthetics really _does_ look cool. You’re not sure about the details of how she ended up with them, but rumors say that she tried to suplex the Core.

***You honestly tell her that you’re planning to meet the King.**

“HAH! I KNEW it! You just want to cross the barrier! You’re just fooling Asgore with your goody-two-shoes schtick so you can take his soul!” She summons a spear. “Well _I’m_ not having any of it! For the hopes and dreams of the monsters Underground, I’ll –

“N-No! Undyne, wait!”

All aggression falls away instantly from the celebrity’s face when Alphys jumps in front of you. “Alphys?”

“I won’t let you hurt them,” Alphys declares, voice clearer and steadier than it’s ever been, “even if it’s you. Frisk is a good human and would never hurt anyone. They’re only trying to make Papyrus happy and they’re going to put their soul on the line to do it.”

You hear Alphys swallow nervously and you’re suddenly struck by how brave she’s being at the moment. You’re moved that she considers you important enough to stand up for you against her crush.

***(You feel yourself becoming more and more Deter ~~mined~~ to reach Sans.)**

“S-So please…let them through to meet the King.”

Undyne stares at the two of you for a long moment. Then, she steps aside.

* * *

You sprint.

Usually, at this point in every run, you walk and take your time. This time, you’re under a time constraint. You want Papyrus to speak with Sans and, ideally, make amends with his brother before he goes into surgery. Alphys might be able to buy you some time, but even that’s uncertain.

It’s only when you reach the Judgement Hall when you stop to take a breather. When you manage to catch your breath and look up, you nearly fall back when you see a completely unimpressed Chara blocking your way.

“Going somewhere, Frisk? ‘Cause it seems like – oh, I don’t know – you’re trying to reach the throne room to face the King of Monsters.”

***You try to step forward and explain yourself.**

Chara holds out a hand and stops you. “Don’t take another step, Frisk. I’m serious. Turn back right now and we can pretend all of this never happened.”

***You tell Chara that you _need_ to move forward. For Papyrus. **

Their hard expression softens a little when you mention your guardian. “Frisk. I _know_ you think this is the only way, but it’s not. Your life isn’t something that can be traded for other people’s happiness. I know what I’m saying.” Chara pulls back a sleeve. Knowing that they might be there doesn’t soften the impact of seeing the scars. “I used to think that way too. It’s why I ended up coming here. It’s why I didn’t put up much of a fight when the King found me. Even with Mom, Dad, and Rei giving me so much love, I still tried to –

Chara stops. Swallows. And then, continues.

“What I’m trying to say is…there are people who care about you. So don’t be a self-sacrificing idiot. It’ll break Papyrus’ soul.”

***You feel as if there has been some sort of huge misunderstanding and you tell Chara that. You clarify your intention to bring King Sans to the Lab so he can reunite with Papyrus before his surgery.**

“Oh.” Chara nearly wilts into themselves as a bright, red flush takes over their cheeks. “Um. Well. This is awkward.”

***You tell Chara that you need to go. You’re running out of time.**

“Oooh no, not alone you’re not. I’m coming with you,” Chara declares, bouncing back from their embarrassment pretty quickly. They fix you with a **Determined** look until you concede. 

Not that you needed the encouragement. Seeing that it’s _Sans_ you’re going to have to face, you would need all the help you could get.

* * *

You’ll say it right here and now: as a king, Sans has absolutely no chill.

“You Majesty! Can you please just” Chara curses as they just barely dodge a bone attack “ **hear us out already!”**

“heh. sorry, kiddo. usually, i’d be all for slacking off on work. but i have a duty to fulfill as the underground’s king. monsters won’t be able to stay patient for very long – not after hearing that we finally have enough souls to break the barrier. no hard feelings, right?”

Chara lets out a frustrated cry while batting away an attack with a worn dagger. They glance at you in concern. It quickly changes into an offended gape.

Why?

Because you’re completely blitzing through the king’s attacks as if it was one of Asriel’s puzzles. You know Sans’ attacks like the back of your hand by now because of the many experiences, but Chara doesn’t know that.

Their eyes gleam red and they throw themselves back into the fray of bone attacks. “Gah! I won’t lose to you, Frisk!”

It technically wasn’t a competition, but you don’t complain as your combined efforts quickly chipped away at Sans’ stamina. After one last slam onto the wall, the king’s magic fizzles out. You immediately take the opportunity to briskly walk up to him as if your entire body doesn’t feel like one big bruise through sheer Perseverance.

You ignore the defeated slump of King Sans’ shoulders as you draw closer. Instead, your hand snaps up and promptly plucks the crown from his head. Then his ridiculous cape. And then the gaudy necklace. Sans’ jaw begins to hang as you begin removing more and more of his regalia until he’s left with a plain, white t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

Then, you get behind him and start pushing him out of the throne room. Chara snickers and follow you both.

“what…what did you just do?”

***You inform Sans that you just “stripped” him from his title as king.**

Sans coughs. You a hundred percent sure that he’s trying not to laugh at the pun. Chara, on the other hand, cackles without restraint.

***You tell Sans that he needs to hurry. Papyrus is hurt and misses his brother.**

Sans whirls around, amusement gone. “wait, paps is hurt? how? where is he?”

“At Dad’s Lab,” Chara immediately cuts in, “he should be getting ready for Papyrus’ surgery by now. So, we should probably hurry. If we run –

“nah, i know a shortcut. follow me.”

You do without hesitation. And, before you know it, you’re back in Asgore’s Lab and scaring the daylights out of poor Alphys. “F-Frisk! How did you – _oh!_ Your Majesty!”

Sans shrugs. “nah, just sans. haven’t you heard? i was just overthrown by two humans.” His casual indifference then shifts into something a little more serious. “now, where is paps? i need to see him.”

“…SANS?”

You see Sans freeze at the sound of his little brother’s voice. He slowly turns around. You turn too. Papyrus stares back from the hospital bed, hooked to an important-looking machine.

Sans smiles weakly. “hey, bro. it’s been a while…”

When his brother doesn’t answer, he shuffles awkwardly and looks away in shame.

“i know i’m the last monster you’d want to see right now. heh. wouldn’t blame you after everything i’ve done. i’m sorry, paps.” He takes a rattling breath. “i don’t…i don’t expect forgiveness. don’t think i _can_ be forgiven. i just wanted to see if you’re okay. paps…i…”

You hear a tell-tale ‘ting’ as Sans’ soul turns blue. He’s then pulled forward and right into a _bone-crushing_ hug.

“SANS! I MISSED YOU, BROTHER!” Papyrus cries out. “I’M SORRY TOO! I SHOULDN’T HAVE LEFT YOU ALONE!”

“paps…” Sans clutches onto his brother “i missed ya too, bro.”

“AND FRISK! YOU NAUGHTY CHILD!” You feel your soul being tugged forward and you tumble into the hug. “…YOU BROUGHT MY BROTHER BACK! THANK YOU!”

“yeah. the kid really was something. they even overthrew me so i could get to you.”

“FRISK!” Papyrus gasps reprovingly, “DID YOU REALLY DO THAT?”

***You pull the crown out of your inventory and plop it right onto your head.**

“IT LOOKS BETTER ON YOU ANYWAYS,” Papyrus concludes after looking you over, sending Sans into a helpless fit of giggles. “paps, you’re the best.”

***You give Papyrus a thumbs up.**

Behind you, you hear the sounds of Toriel fussing over Chara’s injuries and Asgore sniffling with Alphys at what they’re witnessing. You think you hear Asriel fanboying over Undyne too.

You feel content and happy.

* * *

And then Boogie ruins everything by kidnapping you.

He snatches you from Papyrus’ arms with his vines. There’s no build up or warning for his appearance. Behind you, you hear Chara shout and you see them in a similar predicament. You see them pull out their dagger and try to cut themselves free.

Almost every monster in the room point their respective magic attacks at Boogie.

The flower looks at it all with a measure of apathy. “I really wouldn’t recommend doing that. I mean, you’re free to try. But…” You flinch when you hear Papyrus cry out. Your guardian falls over and clutches at his chest in pain. “…don’t you think you should start with the surgery soon? My bullets tend to move around and try to come back to me whenever I’m nearby.”

***You tell Boogie that you won’t Fight him if he stops hurting Papyrus.**

“Fine,” Chara spits as they drop their dagger, “I won’t Fight you either, you dumb weed.”

Satisfied – or, at least, as satisfied as Boogie could possibly get – he encases you both with his vines and then pulls you both into the ground. He’s moving the both of you somewhere and you have a sense of where he’s taking you.

***(It’s not a familiar situation. You can hardly breathe. But you Persevere and hold onto the vines for dear life.)**

By the time Boogie pulls you both back up from the ground, you and Chara are groggy and lightheaded. Not that the flower seems to care.

“This is…this is where I fell. Right outside the throne room where the king found me.” Chara look around their surroundings with a complicated look in their eyes. “Which means, we’re close to where the souls are held.” Their eyes widen and they point at Boogie accusingly. “That’s it. That’s your plan! You’re trying to absorb all seven souls to become god! Well, too bad! You can’t get to the other souls ‘cause we’ll stop you –”

“Nah. I already got them when you two had Sans distracted.”

_“What?”_

Completely unaffected by Chara’s disbelief, Boogie pulls up five soul containers from the ground. You blink and slowly recount the soul containers. No, you were right. There’s only five souls.

***You ask Chara where the sixth soul is.**

“Sixth? No, the king only managed to gather five. I mean, it’s technically _me_ , but –

***You tell them that Papyrus mentioned there being six humans before you who had come through the Ruins. You ask Chara what happened to one of the souls.**

Chara grimaces and Boogie seems to _freeze._ You **Persevere** through the tension of treading upon a sore subject to get your answer.

“Oh. You’re talking about the First Fallen Human. Mom and Dad mentioned them when I saw the memorial for the Ghost Cousins in Undyne’s Ultimate Resort. After they fell, a human-loving ghost called Mettacrit took the soul of the First Human and crossed the barrier.”

“…a lie…”

Chara pauses at their explanation and shoot the flower a dirty look. “Is not.”

“That’s a **L I E**!”

For the first time, you see Boogie break out of his indifference. He seethes as the soul containers trapped in his vines crack under the force of his grip.

“Mettacrit wouldn’t have left me behind for something like fame! They _wouldn’t_!” He shakes his head in denial. “It’s the humans. _They’re_ the ones at fault. Humans are the ones who ended up dusting Mettacrit when they reached the Surface. Why want to go to the Surface? It’s dangerous there. It’s stupid to put all your Hopes into something so dangerous. That’s why…getting rid of these souls are necessary.”

He turns his attention onto Chara.

“Getting rid of _you_ is necessary.”

Then, his gaze lands on you. You feel a tell-tale pain pierce right through you as one of his bullets pierces through your soul. It trembles in your chest, threatening to break.

“And…well, your vessel needs to go too, I’m afraid. No hard feelings, but letting only you off would be unfair, wouldn’t it?”

**ACT:**

***Accept *Defy**

***You tell Boogie that you haven’t given up. You have a stronger WILL than that. You tell him not the mock the Hopes and Dreams of other monsters just because he’s afraid.**

“Yeah, you tell ‘em, partner!” Chara slices through their vine restraints. “Ha! Had you fooled, you dumb weed! I had an extra knife on me all along! You’re more gullible than Rei, I swear. Now…hand over the souls and my friend.”

Boogie offers Chara a particular smile. You feel his vines squeeze you tighter. You think you hear all of the soul containers break. “No.”

***(You call out for help.)**

Somehow, you feel the other souls shudder at the call. You think Chara can feel it too. But they’re too far. They’re too weak. They need…they need…

They need a connection.

**Persevering** through the pressure, you stretch out for the souls in Boogie’s grip. Your STRINGS snap out and attach themselves to your targets. You feel all of them reaching back to you.

…But it isn’t enough.

“What are you doing?” Boogie wonders. He looks at you with the same, odd emotion he had worn when you first met. “There’s no one here who can help you. This is the end.”

“No, it _isn’t_! They aren’t alone! They have me!” Chara denies vehemently. Their eyes shine with Determination. They reach out their hand.

You reach back with STRING.

***(You both called for help.)**

The souls respond to Chara’s Determination and your Perseverance. They jump from Boogie’s grip and circle the flower. Chara’s soul and your soul pulse with the other souls. They begin glowing brighter and brighter until it begins to envelop Boogie. You see a rare flash of fear flash across the flower’s face.

“What? What’s…happening? No… _No!_ I don’t…I don’t want to go! I don’t…”

The light completely consumes Boogie.

“…Mettacrit?”

An explosion of light consisting of many colors shoot out in all directions. The entire Underground hears a resounding _crack._

_The barrier has broken._

The force of the following explosion throws you into a pillar and your world goes dark.

* * *

Whether you’re dead or you’re dreaming, you don’t know. But you’re back in the Save Screen and Geno is still in the middle of his defensive tornado of attacks.

***(You refuse to be barred from Geno this time. Persevering against the unknown force holding you in place and Persevering against Geno’s attacks, you move forward.)**

***You call out Geno’s name.**

“…kid?!”

You take that one moment of shock as the opportunity to throw yourself forward and wrap your arms around him the best you can. You end up clinging onto him more than anything, but you hold on tight anyways. Geno is hurting. Geno is all alone. He’s always comforted you at your lowest moments. It’s time for you to do the same.

***You tell Geno that you’re here. You apologize for taking so long to get back to him. You tell Geno that no matter what, Papyrus will be okay. You promise to make sure of it.**

“heh.” Geno grins. “that’s a high promise to keep, kiddo. you sure you’re up to it?”

You make to answer but –

_“Frisk? Frisk? Wake up!”_

“whelp. you heard the other kid. time to wake up.” Geno lightly pushes you back and you fall. “i’ll see you soon.”

* * *

You wake up with Chara hovering over you. When they hug you in relief, you notice a lone flower over Chara’s shoulder. It’s faceless.

Boogie’s gone.

* * *

“I can’t believe it. The barrier is broken, and I didn’t even have to die to make it happen!” Chara says giddily as the both of you hobble through the Judgement Hall. “I…I can be there to show Asriel sunrises! And chocolate shops! And, and, seasons and rain and _stars_.” They stop and turn to face you. “Frisk, I get to _live_. And it’s all because of you!”

Framed by the light streaming from the windows, Chara’s unadulterated joy is a sight to see and you can’t help but return it with a smile.

Only for it to crumble when you feel a sharp twinge in your chest. You let out a whimper as you clutch a hand over your heart as the pain grows and grows. Distantly, you hear Chara saying something. They sound panicked.

**-5HP**

**HP 0.5/20**

“ –old on until then? Frisk?”

***You Persevere through the pain of your soul breaking and use WILL. You won’t let it end here.**

***You ask Chara for a favor: to help you break the Reset Button. You stress how important this is to you.**

“How do you know about –? No.” Chara shakes their head. “That doesn’t matter. You said you want it gone? Okay. I’ll do it. But you have to _promise_ that you’ll let me take you to the Lab so Dad can check on you. Deal, partner?”

Chara summons the Reset button and takes your hand. It shatters under your hands.

***(As the button shatters, your soul trembles. It senses that you’ve achieved your goals and is ready to finally break…but you refuse. You will continue moving forward. You won’t stop here. You are filled with Perseverance.)**

Chara nods decisively.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

* * *

When you both finally reach the Lab, Toriel immediately gathers you both into her arms as Asriel politely dismisses the entire Royal Guard, who had been prepared for a retrieval mission only moments before. The monsters genuinely look relieved and happy for their Captain instead of being miffed. Then, he leaves to fetch Asgore.

Soon enough, the harried Royal Scientist comes rushing in. You feel relief at seeing him for one moment before it turns cold. That expression on his face…

“Dad, Frisk needs –

***You interrupt Chara to ask Asgore what’s wrong.**

Then, you hear the shrill sounds of a machine going crazy followed immediately by a grief-stricken wail. Before you know it, you’re out of Toriel’s embrace and scrambling to the source of the noise.

Sans is still crying. He’s clinging onto his little brother’s hand and you see that it’s beginning to turn chalky. You crawl onto the bed and you grab his other hand. It feels like it’s going to fall apart in any given moment. You know instantly: The surgery wasn’t successful. Papyrus is falling down.

But you promised. You _promised_ Geno.

“…Frisk?”

Chara is standing hesitantly at the doorway. Everyone else you hold dear is there too, but for some reason you focus only on them. You offer them a shaky smile.

Then, you draw out your soul. You hear someone gasp. It isn’t a pretty sight, you know. It’s barely holding itself together thanks to WILL. You give Papyrus’ hand a squeeze and hope for the best before pouring your Perseverance into Papyrus.

Your WILL begins to weaken, and your soul begins to crack, much to the horror of everybody. Still, you Persevere and continue to pour, pour, _pour_ even as your soul cracks, cracks, _cracks_. If anything, you want Papyrus to see the Surface. You want him to _live_. You –

You see Papyrus open his eyes. He beams at the sight of you and squeezes your hand back.

“FRISK! HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO SEE THAT YOU’RE SAFE! I ASSUME THE GOOD DOCTOR WAS SUCCESSFUL?”

***You’re okay.**

“YES I AM. WHY WOULDN’T I BE? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN? SANS, HELP ME COMFORT OUR HUMAN – SANS? BROTHER? WHY ARE YOU CRYING?”

***You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re okay.**

“FRISK?”

***I’m sorry.**

Your soul shatters.

* * *

They cry for you. They mourn for you. They bury you. And you force yourself to watch every moment.

But they all Persevere.

That’s honestly all you can ever hope for.

You return to the Save Screen all numb. Geno wastes no time to set aside the crown still perched on top of your head and gathers you up into his arms. He holds you close.

***You apologize. You tell Geno that you hadn’t meant to hurt Papyrus like that.**

“no…you did good. you saved paps just like you promised. shouldn’t have doubted you. not even for a second.” You feel his arms tighten around you. “thank you and…”

***You stifle a sob.**

“…i’m sorry.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. That happened.
> 
> ...
> 
> Hey! Here are additional links to headcannons/artworks that inspired me as I wrote this chapter! :D
> 
> Storyshift Wiki [Here](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Storyshift)  
> Storyshift (Canceled) [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Storyshift/comments/48o6j7/storyshift_shift_one_segments/)  
> King Sans by Natukusa-mikan [Here](https://natukusa-mikan.tumblr.com/post/177103730103/i-dream-of-king-sans)  
> Storyshift Cast by lari-lab [Here](https://lari-lab.tumblr.com/post/184659567049/for-storyshift-%E9%81%8E%E5%8E%BB%E7%99%BA%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AB%E5%8F%8E%E9%8C%B2%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E9%9B%86%E5%90%88%E7%B5%B5%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99)  
> A series of pictures that inspired the confrontation between Frisk and Sans [Here](https://natukusa-mikan.tumblr.com/post/178022190233/storyshift-the-content-of-the-silent-comic-is)


	10. Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not wanting to think about what happened, you waste no time to jump and fall into - wait, Oceantale?! You're sinking and you need air! That's right. You're in the Underwater now and the rules have changed. Oh, your friends' personalities and roles are mostly the same, sure, but the world is so much bigger and your enemies are saltier than you remembered.
> 
> Worse yet, you don't know how to work with your cyan soul. It's holding you back when all you want to do is move forward and forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop: Oceantale!
> 
> Oh my starfish it's finally here! Oceantale! This universe was created by Forte (no link). While it's mostly concept art and the AU itself isn't as well-known compared to the other universes so far, I have a soft spot for it because of the pretty art and the potential. Please note that my interpretation of Oceantale is VERY different from the spin that the [Oceantale Fangame](https://gamejolt.com/games/undertale-oceantale/185457) has. I have my own headcannons and own visual of the Underwater and its monsters.
> 
> In honor of the language the concept art is written in and to the stories my grandfather told me as a child, I've incorporated some aspects of the Korean Folktale ["The Tale of Shim Cheong"](https://www.storynory.com/the-blind-mans-daughter/)into this AU. 
> 
> Also, since the soul trait is Patience this time, there's no sense in having a whole chapter devoted to it without stuff testing it every other second, no? Just know that my version of Oceantale is the culmination of very, very frustrating video game experience during quarantine *side-eyes Hollow Knight and every goddamn Water Temple in LoZ*

It takes a while to stop the shaking and the hiccups, but you somehow manage. The entire time, Geno keeps his arms around you until you’re ready to step away. You sniffle into your sleeve for the final time before forcing yourself to speak.

***You tell Geno that you’re ready to move onto the next run.**

“wait, what? kid, _no_.” The dismay on Geno’s expression nearly makes you step down from your decision, but you hold strong.

***You firmly remind Geno that there’s only two more universes left.**

Geno still puts up a fight, but you know that you’ve won after you made your point. You see it in the guilty set of his shoulders and the halfhearted argument he put up after that. In the end, Geno reluctantly stands to the side as you step through.

* * *

You fall face-first into –

Well. You don’t fall, actually. You _sink._

And worse? You’re _drowning._ Your feel your lungs burning for air. In vain, you struggle and reach out to the light above you but to no avail. Like a rock, you continue to drop while leaving behind a trail of bubbles at your wake. The light above you grows dimmer and dimmer.

You desperately look around for something – _anything_ – to help you.

And then you see it. An entrance to some sort of underwater cave right below you. You squirm and kick your way to it and let yourself tumble in. You’re met with the sight of a grove of golden anemone. It’d be quite beautiful if you weren’t dying.

Once you’re fully inside the cave, you feel a sudden shift in the water around you and –

You fall face-first into the golden anemones.

The force of the fall stuns you for a bit. You realize somewhere along the line that you can _breathe_ again despite being underwater. The relief that hits you weakens you to the point that you remain lying down for a long while.

No, you shouldn’t do that. Sea anemones sting. They’re carnivorous too, though their diet is more fish-like than human-like. Still. They sting. You’re probably already stung and there’s no doctor nearby to –

Wait.

Your panicked thoughts screech to a halt as you reevaluate the facts that your mind had just spewed. You shouldn’t know these things. While you’ve heard stories about oceans in the Surface during your previous runs, Waterfall has genuinely been the closest you’ve ever gotten to seeing it.

You search around your head to see if you’re not alone. Instead of an individual voice reaching back to your inquiry, you’re met with aquatic trivia, senses, and facts. You are Frisk, an orphan. You lived in Ebott Island all your life – your suntanned skin and the saltwater smell that clings to your hair is a testament to that. You were out at sea because of a field trip. These facts settle onto your shoulders like a borrowed scarf.

From now until the end of the run, this Frisk and you are one and the same. The knowledge fills you with peace. You won’t be leaving behind a corpse, nor will you be letting a stranger stand in for you.

Well. That’s one less thing to worry about. Now, the anemones.

You gingerly roll away from the anemones and inspect yourself. No burns that you can see or feel.

**“Frisk”**

**LV 1**

**HP 20/20**

**AT 0 (0) EXP: 0**

**DF 0 (0) NEXT:10**

**WEAPON: Coral Stick**

**ARMOR: Sailor Hat**

**GOLD: 0**

You haven’t lost any HP, so you drop it.

You straighten out your clothes and let out a sigh of relief when you feel your neckerchief and your sailor hat still intact. They are gifts given to all the visiting students. You remember being over the moon when you realized how they matched your washed-out, blue overalls and your worn, white t-shirt perfectly. You think you would’ve been heartbroken if you had lost those.

***(After you’ve gotten everything in order, you move on with Determi ~~nation~~.)**

You’re a human on a mission, after all.

* * *

Flowey might be horrible, you admit to yourself, but his nastiness is far more preferable to empty stares that Boogie always gave you. You also appreciate that his current form as a golden anemone fits his _stingy_ personality (ha).

Toriel’s appearance, on the other hand, shocks you completely when she enters to save you. Her scales and webbed ears throw you off completely. While you had speculated that this Toriel would conform to the sea theme by bearing a fish tail like the mermaid stories the islanders told you, you never expected that tail to be attached to two-legged _dragon._

But she’s kind and gentle with you as she leads you around the Ruins – or _The Grotto_ as she calls it. Her clawed hands never cut you when she holds your hand, nor does she ever bare her teeth.

* * *

While you’re more than aware that your soul trait is Patience the moment Flowey draws it out, you had no idea how much this run was going to test it.

For some reason, the magic that grounds you in the water seems to slide right off of your soul during Encounters. Water currents would push and pull at your soul at random intervals, throwing you into the magical attacks. The worst part is that they’re completely unpredictable.

Since you pride yourself as being an expert at dodging, it’s a blow to your self-confidence when attacks hit your soul more often than not. You struggle while trying to pass through the Ruins. And then, you die.

It’s a water beetle Whimsum that kills you. A _Whimsum_.

* * *

“wow, kid. when i said come back soon, i didn’t mean _this_ soon,” Geno teases you, “did you miss me that much?”

***You laugh along with Geno and agree. You tell him that you’re going to try again.**

“so soon?” he asks, but you’re already jumping through.

* * *

When you return, you come to a horrifying realization.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the Sea Flower!”

You haven’t Saved.

* * *

After repeating your introductions to Flowey and Toriel, you manage to pass the spot where you’d been killed by the Whimsum by sticking to the dodge and flee tactic.

Unfortunately, the same tactic can’t be applied to Napstablook, not when you want to continue forward. As you do your best to dodge from the attacks made by the soft and bouncy the tearful(?) jellyfish, you notice his thread-like tentacles and immediately conclude to avoid that part of him at all costs.

Just as you tell yourself this, a water current slams your soul right into Napstablook, shattering it instantly.

* * *

Spikes from a puzzle pierce into your body after one of the small fish trips you.

* * *

You try to convince Toriel not to leave you behind. Everything would be so much easier if she continued staying by your side, right?

But you never find out. Though regretful, Toriel refuses, patiently explains once again that independence in growing children is important. She leaves you behind to die another death.

* * *

By the skin of your teeth, you manage to survive your Encounter with Napstablook and befriend the jellyfish. With a single HP remaining, you crawl on forward, eager to reach Home as soon as possible.

Another monster catches you before you manage to leave the room. They shatter your soul instantly.

* * *

A Whimsum kills you. Again.

* * *

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the –

***You interrupt Flowey to question him about his naming choice.**

“Wait, what.”

***You inform him that he is technically a sea anemone. While anemones are genetically considered both plant and animal, they _classified_ as animals. So, the name, Flowey, is technically a misnomer.**

Flowey’s expression begins to twist the more and more you talk. The part of you that had listened to his introduction speech over and over again can only feel schadenfreude at his growing irritation as he attempts to maintain his forced friendliness.

“Oh, golly, uh, you really like your marine life, huh? That’s pretty interesting and all but I should really start showing you how to –

***You ask him why he chose the name Flowey of all things.**

Flowey lets out a hiss as his face transforms into something monstrous. Since this isn’t the first time seeing this side of him, you’re completely unfazed. “You _idiot._ **Shut up about my name!** Do you want me to help you or not?”

***You blink slowly at Flowey’s rage before calmly suggesting that Annie the Anemone might be a better fit.**

Unsurprisingly, he kills you for that. It’s amazing how much better Flowey is at obliterating you when he’s not distracted with monologuing and playing around.

* * *

“okay kid, it’s time for a time-out.”

Geno grabs you before you can jump through the veil for another try. You’re too tired to struggle away from his hold, but you do protest as he carries you over to the patch of grass. Setting you down, you see him summon his blasters. They flock over to you excitedly, attacking you with snout nudges and nuzzles.

***You ask Geno if you’re going to have another training session.**

Geno sends you with an unimpressed look.

“nope. guess again, kid.”

When you struggle to come up with another guess, Geno lets out a sigh.

“a break. you’re taking a break. you’ve been stretching yourself too thin and i’m not just talking about this run. i’m talking about all of the runs you did.” His expression changes from upset to pleading. “i know you want to help me out, you’re a good kid like that, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your own health.”

***You tell Geno you’re fine.**

“frisk.” You stiffen at the sound of your name and you look up at Geno. “you **died**.”

You’re aware of that, but the way Geno says it makes it sound important. You just don’t know _how._ Is he angry that you messed up? Or that your deaths kept slowing your progression down?

***You hesitantly agree. You died many times during this run. You promise that you’ll try harder not to fail next time.**

“kid,” Geno starts, looking sick, “that’s not what i meant. i don’t care about your progression or anything like that.”

He stops to take a breath. He’s shaking for some reason and his smile is strained.

“what i’m trying to say is that what you’re going through over and over again _isn’t normal_. dying isn’t supposed to be like getting a burg from grillby’s. it leaves scars. big ones.” He gestures to the ugly wound across his chest. “you shouldn’t treat it so lightly like you’re doing, kid.”

***You point out that it’s different for you. You don’t die for long. You come back. But other people don’t have that. So that’s why –**

“you’re doing it again.” Geno is getting frustrated. You’re getting frustrated too. You don’t understand what he’s trying to tell you. “you shouldn’t talk like that. your life is just as important as everyone else’s!”

***No, it’s not!**

Complete silence follows after your outburst. One of the blasters whimpers at your side. You look away in shame.

***…You tell Geno that it’s not. It’s really not. Everyone you met and Saved is someone filled with memories and making more as they go. They all have someone who loves them and would miss them if they’re ever gone. You have none of that – no memories, no family, no identity. If you died, it’s nothing. But if _they_ died, it would be everything.**

You feel Geno tilting your chin up to meet his eyelight. He looks back at you with disbelief.

“do you really think that?”

He then directs your gaze down to your own chest. Your breath catches when you see the clumsily knitted deltarune design. Of all the colors to bring back after the run, your body had decided on keeping Papyrus’ gift to you.

“…do you really think pap thought that?” Geno asks you again.

Your throat grows tight and you shake your head.

“see? your life just as important as everyone else,” Geno tells you gently, “which is why you should give yourself a break.”

***You ask Geno if this matters to him that much.**

“yeah.” Geno’s voice cracks. “yeah, kid. you don’t know? you need to take care of yourself ‘cause someone really cares about you. and that someone is me.”

You’re crying again. No, you’re bawling in the messiest way possible. You might be seeing it wrong, but you think Geno is crying too.

You guess you can wait a little longer.

* * *

It’s strange. After crying so much, you actually feel lighter. Geno had laughed when you mentioned this and encouraged you to rest and play longer. Actually, he kept you in there until he deemed you mentally ready to jump back into the run.

You listen to him for once. You stay for a while.

When the time comes for you to jump through again, Geno willingly sends you off with a smile. At your request, he also gives you some advice on how to approach your problem: Do nothing.

It’s lazy advice.

It’s extremely frustrating how successful his suggestion ends up being.

***(** **Even though you know that Toriel will not return for a while, you still wait for her. You are filled with Patience.)**

* **(You have activated skill: FREEZE! For five turns, you won’t take any damage as long as you stay still.)**

***(Another skill activated!)**

***(…)**

***(Skill activation pending. Please standby Patiently.)**

The activation of FREEZE makes Encounters so much easier. While you still actively do your best to dodge, the new ability preserves your HP from getting shaved off by any random ocean current or sneaky, tiny fish.

It’s such a relief when you finally ( _finally_ ) reach Home. After letting Toriel fuss over you, you nearly follow her into Home before stopping right at the threshold. Something bright catches your eye. A…starfish? You reach down to pick it up. Upon contact with the strange thing, you’re suddenly filled with…

Filled with…

***(Patience. Thank you for waiting this long! You have enough Determi ~~nation~~ to access Save Points from this moment forward.)**

* * *

“tori’s pretty hard, huh?” Geno asks you as you inevitably wind up back into the Save Screen after your Fight with Toriel.

***You express your confusion on how fire magic is able to work Underwater.**

“mmmmmaagic.”

You continue to badger Geno for more information about magic as he munched on the slice of butterscotch pie you saved up for him. You don’t care if the answer is something ‘boring’ or ‘too complicated’. You need to know.

Geno laughs at your curiosity.

“it’s hard to explain without textbooks and pictures. how about this? if you manage to find one of those how to magic books for those in stripes, i’ll teach you. deal?”

***You express your excitement.**

* * *

When you step outside the Grotto Doors, you let out a gasp.

Stretched out in front of you is a path cutting through a gigantic coral reef. Instead of forest and snow, you find yourself walking on soft, shifting sand as you walk deeper and deeper into the myriad of colors. Fish, bigger than the ones flitting about in the Grotto, flaunt their colors and intricate patterns as they swim past you. Everything is so quiet and beautiful. You can sit down in the middle of the path and admire the landscape in front of you for hours.

You do exactly that.

The sand clouds the clear water for a brief second as you plop yourself down onto the sea floor. You think Geno would approve of your choice to take a break. You continue to admire the fish around you. The braver ones come closer, bubbling around you.

Faint crunching of the seafloor sand breaks you from thoughts. Oh. You forgot about this part.

***(While it would be faster to acknowledge Sans’ presence, you remain seated in place. If he wants to greet you, he’ll have to come to you himself and you’re willing to wait for that. You are filled with Patience.)**

You jump when you feel a hand tap your shoulder.

“heh. sorry to _pop your bubble_ , human, but your mind was kinda _floatin’_ away there,” Sans jokes and his grin widens when you laugh.

“’sup? i’m sans. sans the pirate. yo ho ho or whatever.”

* * *

True to his self-description, Sans is a pirate – eyepatch, pirate hat, and all. You think it’s fitting when you remember the pirate flag hung over Papyrus’ wall from one of your previous runs.

For someone so normally lazy, you’re surprised to see Sans wear clothes that _weren’t_ his usual t-shirt, hoodie, and shorts combination. Despite his half-hearted pirate act, the skeleton monster certainly _looked_ the part. He even has a cutlass at his side, much to your awe.

When you meet Papyrus, you find him looking just as much of a pirate as Sans if not more. His clothes, you notice, are more intricate and extravagant with its bright reds and gold-laced patterns. You discover why when he and his brother lead you where should have been Snowdin Town.

“NYEH HEH HEH! BEHOLD, HUMAN, THE GREATEST VESSEL IN THE UNDERWATER, SUNKIN!”

A ship.

A _ship._

Papyrus puffs up proudly at your awe as you follow him aboard the giant vessel. In your mind, pages and pages of information about ships turn in your mind. This ship, you can tell, is old. Older than the eldest members of the island. And yet, it’s well maintained. You gasp when you realize that you’re no longer submerged in water. Your hair sticks to the sides of your face and your clothes are all damp. You marvel at the change. Sans chuckles as he watches your reaction.

“what? don’t ya know that it’s normal for ships to keep the water out?” He asks you cheekily. “it’s like you’ve never been on one before, kid.”

Well, technically, you haven’t but the memories inside your head state otherwise. You recall the smell of sea salt in the wind and sitting inside a small boat for three. The memory should’ve been a happy one since the other Frisk loves everything related to the sea, but for some reason, you feel sick.

You distract yourself by exploring around the deck a bit more. Your curiosity is rewarded by the familiar sight of a glowing Save Point.

A good thing that you find it too. Because the instant you’re done admiring the ship, _Captain_ Papyrus challenges you to an honorable duel with your freedom on the line. While this Papyrus is a Captain of a beautiful ship, he still has his lofty goals of joining the Royal Guard.

Since the ship is resistant to water and, by extension, the tricky currents, you win the duel with ease. As a reward for your valor and skill, Papyrus offers to take you to New Home to meet the Water King.

“MEANWHILE, YOU SHALL STAY WITH US AS OUR NEW CABIN BOY - ER…CHILD!”

“welcome aboard, kiddo,” Sans congratulates you with a wink. Or is it a blink? “yarrr.”

* * *

When Captain Papyrus presents you with his homemade spaghetti during your welcoming celebration, you burst into tears. You stubbornly eat the entire thing despite the protests of the rest of the crew around you and tell him it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted.

* * *

***(Days crawl by as Sunkin sails toward New Home. You wait for the ship to reach its destination and do your duties as the ship’s designated cabin child without complaint. You have time after all. You are filled with Patience.)**

There is so much to explore when it comes to Sunkin. Whenever you’re done with your duties, you spend it meeting all the crew members, who you recognize as all the townsfolk in Snowdin. To your utmost joy, it turns out the ship’s cook is Grillby, who is more than happy to whip up a burg and fries for you. You save them up for Geno.

The sight outside of the ship never fails to take your breath away. The sea is so vast and endless and there’s always new sea creatures swimming past the vessel. Once, you see a pod of whales for the first time. You marvel at their size and how you and the ship itself are dwarfed in comparison to their colossal size.

But as the ship sails into deeper waters, everything grows darker and there are less creatures about. The ship lands on a docking station on the sea floor. You’re surprised when you see anemone the color of echo flowers scattered about the otherwise barren ground.

“welcome to landfall,” Sans announces with an odd tenseness that you’re more used to seeing on Geno, “careful, kid. it might look like solid ground from this far away, but it’s called land _fall_ for a reason. keep to the path and stay away from the shadows.”

“AND DO SAY HI TO UNDYNE IF YOU EVER COME ACROSS HER! I AM SURE THE TWO OF YOU WOULD BE GREAT FRIENDS!” Your captain encourages. Sans gives you a subtle shake, suggesting the opposite.

***You promise to be careful. You make sure to touch the Save Point before leaving the ship.**

MK, the other cabin child, accompanies you so you wouldn’t get lost. This piece of familiarity eases you as you adventure into the unknown of the sea. Everything is so different from what you’re used to. The water is cold. The sand is unstable. Everything is quiet.

It’s scary.

Well. At least you can trust that Undyne will be the same. Since she’s a fish monster, she won’t have to change or conform to her surroundings, right?

* * *

Wrong. So wrong.

Undyne is a dangerous mermonster ready to murder you. And she does murder you. Many times.

* * *

You munch on one of Grillby’s burgs and pout as you take a much-needed break from scary mermonsters who sneak up from the darkness to kill you dead. Geno pats your shoulder consolingly.

* * *

This is how Undyne kills you:

First, she makes sure that you and MK are separated. No matter how much you try not to, you always end up having to separate paths with your fellow cabin child.

Then, she begins her barrage of spear attacks. This part, you usually escape unscathed as it’s similar to what plays out in your previous runs.

The last part, the part that always ends up killing you, is when she darts out of the darkness like some creature from a horror game and drags you away from the path. It turns out that the magic keeping you grounded is in effect only when your feet is in contact with the ground. While you have basic swimming knowledge, you don’t have enough skill to properly flee from the screaming fish lady before she kills you – FREEZE skill or no.

During what feels like is your fiftieth try, you finally discover something in your inventory that makes you want to smack yourself. Repeatedly.

**ITEMS**

***Water Burg *Sea Salt Fries**

***Ketch Pack *Water Flippers**

***??? Water Flippers? Did you really have that on you the entire time?**

***(Well, you _were_ always thrown into a state of panic whenever in mid-Encounter with Undyne. So it isn’t too far-fetched to overlook things like these.)**

***(You equip the Water Flippers.)**

The flippers certainly help you in escaping Undyne. You’re by means not as graceful as any of the aquatic monsters, but you manage to wiggle your way out of her range long enough for MK to pop out of nowhere to distract the mermonster.

Though you want nothing more than to take a break, you know that you need to continue forward. Landfall is no place to lower your guard and staying in place is practically _begging_ for a rematch of tag with Undyne. While it’s no longer necessary to use your flippers, you feel safer swimming above the path.

The soft glow of the echo flowers lights your way. They whisper to you, comforting you as you journey alone in the cold dark. You pluck out one of the silent ones and keep it with you just in case you reach an area where the flowers stop growing. The darkness of Landfall should have felt like home to you since the Save Screen is far darker, but you feel jumpy. It’s too silent and the water is too still.

You discover why Landfall got its name when you reach the edge of the trench. The land quite literally falls away into black. You know, logically, it only looks like that because it’s too deep for the light to reach, but the sight of it makes you shudder.

With a start, you realize that there is someone standing at the ledge.

***You call out to the monster, warning them that they’re too close to the ledge.**

The monster doesn’t respond. Even more worried, you swim closer. To your surprise, you see that it’s MK. He’s oddly speculative and quiet, but he finally responds to you when you’re close enough.

“Have you ever thought of a world where everything is exactly the same…except you don’t exist? Everything functions perfectly without you…” You see MK shake. He’s so frightened that he’s lost all color. “Ha…ha…the thought terrifies me.”

***You tell MK that it’s okay to be afraid. But you also tell him not to let his fears hold him back.**

Since he seems more afraid than you, you hold out the echo flower in your hands.

***You tell MK to “stay Determi ~~ned~~ ”**

“Oh…is that for me?” MK takes the flower into his mouth. The water flower whispers your words of encouragement. “You know, this does make me feel a little better about this. Thank you. Please forget about me.”

After spending the next couple of minutes trying to get MK to move, you give up and turn to leave. You hear him speak up once again behind you.

“A word of advice from the man who speaks in hands. _Don’t trust him._ ”

You turn back, but MK is not there anymore.

You quickly forget the strange encounter when Undyne catches up with you. You lead her in a merry chase and unintentionally lead her over an underwater volcano. You manage to pass over it safely, but the blast hits Undyne.

Stunned and slightly burned, the mermonster begins to sink. You retrieve her before she falls too far. Since this area is too dangerous for Undyne, you decide to double back. The water makes her light enough to drag as you swim. As you revisit the trench, you’re struck with a curiosity.

You look down. It was a mistake.

Dark, darker, yet darker.

With a shiver, you drag Undyne to less dangerous waters. Preferably somewhere with more light.

* * *

***(Though you want nothing more than to return find MK and return to Sunkin, you have a patient in need of healing and rest. You decide that you can wait a little longer. You are filled with Patience.)**

“You’re not how I expected humans to be,” Undyne tells you after she wakes up. You give her your fries so she could heal from her burns. You find her home nestled in one of the dark corners of Landfall. It’s surprisingly well-lit and homey inside, much to your relief. The mermonster watches you intently as you float in front of her.

***You ask what Undyne had expected.**

“Powerful. Destructive. Merciless.” Her tail swishes irritably.

Well, knowing that most of her knowledge comes from history, legends, and anime, you can’t fault her for her assumptions. You are, after all, the furthest thing from a magical anime girl wielding an overly large sword.

***You tell Undyne that she’s also not how you expected mermaids to be.**

And it’s true. You recall snippets of tales and legends that the fishers at your island would tell you and all the other children. Undyne isn’t the type to pine away for some land-dweller or sing sailors to death. You think she’d more likely suplex her way to a solution.

***You conclude that she’s way cooler than the stories.**

Undyne grins.

“Heck YEAH I am, punk! And don’t you forget it!”

* * *

After befriending Undyne, you return to Sunkin with her help. You immediately jump onto the Save Point to make sure you didn’t have to do that all over again.

You’re surprised to see that the entire crew was worried sick about you. Apparently, MK returning without you was enough to throw even the calmest on the ship (read: Sans) into a state of panic. While Papyrus is happy that Undyne and you became friends, Sans seems more concerned about how your life was at risk multiple times during the process.

Sans arms you with his cutlass despite your protests.

“some _fin_ tells me this won’t be the last time you’ll end up in trouble, kiddo,” he tells you solemnly, “and i can’t be there all the time to keep an eye on you. it’s either you keep this or end up being _shark bait._ _chews_ wisely.”

You can tell that he’s serious despite the puns. You take the cutlass.

* * *

When Sunkin ports at Hotwater for supplies, you can’t help but vibrate with excitement when seeing a new area. Hotwater is surprisingly more lukewarm than anything, despite its name. Mechanical structures and domes made from shipwrecks and fallen airplanes serve as dry spaces devoted to land monsters. Unlike Landfall, it’s full of life.

Alphys comes out personally to greet you and the rest of the Sunkin crew. You recognize the Axolotl in her features. The poor doctor flushes and stutters when she sees that Undyne has come along with the crew, comically stuffed in a barrel full of saltwater.

After a series of events that involved trying to set Undyne and Alphys together, you somehow end up in the tender mercies of Mettaton even though the entire “pretend Mettaton is a killer robot and Alphys is the hero” scenario never happened.

You shakily face Mettaton as he points his sabre at you. In any other situation, you would have admired how princely he looked in his universe-unique design. But now? You’re shaking in your ratty, water-soaked sneakers.

**ACT**

***Scream *Accept**

***(You draw out the cutlass Sans gave you and accept Mettaton’s challenge. You are filled with Determi ~~nation~~.)**

“ _En guarde_ , darling! Let’s give them a good show!”

* * *

Because of your inexperience, you end up getting killed five times before you get the hang of wielding the weapon. You mostly use it to parry the robot’s attacks. With **Patience** , you manage to outlast Mettaton’s battery power and come out of the duel victorious.

Much to Alphys’ surprise, you help her carry Mettaton back into her Lab so she could set him up for recharge.

“If you don’t mind me asking…” Alphys pauses in her tinkering and looks down bashfully “a-and you don’t have to say if you don’t want to! But why didn’t you continue to the Water Palace when you had the chance?”

***You tell Alphys that you’re not in a hurry to go back the Surface.**

“Wh-what about your family? Your friends? Won’t they be worried about you?”

You think about the tiny boat for three again. You recall your head being pushed down into the water. You recall the jeering laughter and your burning lungs before you’re sinking down, down, down. You let the memory pass. You take a breath.

***You tell Alphys that you don’t think that anyone would miss you.**

“I…” Alphys takes your hand. “I have something that I need to do, but I don’t think I can do it alone. Can you – can you help me?”

* * *

After helping Alphys bring out the Amalgamates and reunite them to their families, you push on forward to explore Hotwater to its fullest. You admire the structures and patiently solve every puzzle. The long way isn’t too bad.

It’s only when you start drawing closer to the CORE when things get a little…weird.

You bump into a monster who stares at you unnervingly. Without prompting, he begins to talk to you.

_“It makes sense why Asgore took so long to hire a new Royal Scientist. After all, the old one…Doctor Gaster. What an act to follow! They say he created the CORE. However, his life…was cut short. One day, he fell into his creation and… **well, your friend knows the rest.** ”_

The _knowing_ in the monster’s eyes makes you recoil. Worse yet, he’s not the first of his kind. Other monsters with the same gray palette replace the normally friendly faces and impart fragments of information about the mysterious Dr. Gaster.

_“They say he shattered across time and space. Ha…ha…how can I say so without fear? I’m holding a piece of him right here. **You are too.** ”_

_“His brilliance was irreplaceable. However, his experiments went wrong and…well, I needn’t gossip. **After all, it’s rude to talk about someone who’s listening.** ”_

You feel something crawl down your back and shudder.

* * *

***You ask Geno about Gaster. You tell him about the dreams in your last run. They’re not dreams, are they?**

“no,” Geno tells you honestly, all humor drained from his expression, “they’re not.”

Geno tells you what he can about the forgotten Royal Scientist. They’re mostly information that you’ve already heard from those strange monsters.

“kid, i need you to be careful. gaster is _dangerous_. he’s not a friend. don’t trust him.”

* * *

The Water Palace is beautiful. You can tell that it was painstakingly put together piece by piece. Pearls and seashells decorate the walls as you go deeper and deeper.

When you inevitably come face-to-face with Sans in the hall, you wait for his Judgement.

“tell me a story,” Sans asks of you instead.

***(It’s fine. You have time. You are filled with Patience.)**

You remember one of the stories that you heard on your island. It’s an old one that told of a wicked witch who was driven away into the sea as punishment only to return, summoning the powers of a ferocious dragon and bringing about a terrible storm. The island prevailed after the fishermen heroically slew the beast.

***You tell a different story. You speak a story about a horrible island tradition that sacrificed its unwanted children to the sea. You speak of a sacrifice who is found by a young prince. You speak of a Dragon King and a Dragon Queen who takes the child as their own. You speak of another sacrifice, willingly given this time out of familial love, that ends in a tragedy.**

“geez, kid, don’t you know anything happier? how about this? once upon a time, a dashing skeleton pirate finds a waif and takes them to his brother’s ship where they lived and adventured together to their heart’s content without the monster king ever having to know. happily ever after and all that.”

***You tell Sans that this is something that you must do.**

The heartbreak that you see in Sans’ eye is the very same one you see when you come face-to-face with King Asgore.

***(Toriel should be coming soon. Flowey should be nearby too. You will wait for them. You are filled with Patience.)**

* * *

When Asriel Dremurr brings down the power of gods onto your head, you think that you _might_ have overestimated yourself. You may have some **Determi ~~nation~~** , but it’s not enough when paired with a passive trait like **Patience**.

You feel your soul quake under the torrent of attacks. You know it won’t hold up against the final blast you know is coming.

***(Skill finished loading! Congratulations!)**

***(You have activated skill: PAYOFF! Your accumulated Patience will protect you from receiving most of the damage from attacks.)**

The magic that comes up to wrap around your soul comes in the shape of a ribbon. While it does not prevent all damage, it’s enough to hold on until the end.

And in the end, you are left with a tiny dragon monster crybaby who needs your comfort.

* * *

You shatter the Reset button as monsters begin to board Sunkin to finally reach the Surface.

***(The journey to this point was long and hard, but you managed to hold on until the end. Even though there is only one more run left, you decide to take your time and take care of yourself. You are filled with Patience.)**

You take one last look at your surroundings before stepping back. The feeling you go through is like taking off a coat that isn’t your own. You and the other Frisk are back to being two, separate entities.

The Frisk you step away from clutches at their chest in confusion, garnering the attention and concern from their friends. Eventually, they brush it off as nothing and board the ship, sitting on Papyrus’ shoulders as the ship begins to rise.

You leave before it reaches the Surface.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you seen Oceantale Mettaton's concept art??? It's just so - (incoherent noises). 
> 
> Here are additional links:
> 
> Oceantale Wiki [Here](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Oceantale)  
> The GORGEOUS character concept art [Here](https://oceantale01.tumblr.com)


	11. Integrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blast off to your next great adventure in Outertale! Except, it's not quite as energy-filled as your previous runs? Instead of being pulled into Encounters, your blue soul pushes you to do the right thing and help out every monster in need - which is a lot. It's slowing you down, but you have a beautiful view to make up for it. Geno isn't complaining.
> 
> Yeah. Both of you are definitely not delaying the inevitable. Nope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop: Outertale! 
> 
> Outertale, created by [2mi127](https://2mi127.tumblr.com) , is a gorgeous AU. Why? Because it's Undertale but in SPACE. It's one of the older AUs and one that I keep very close to my heart. Of course, aside from the character designs, I do have my own take on the AU in this chapter. The possibilities are endless, after all.

When you return to the Save Screen, Geno laughs at the sight of the cutlass dragging at your side and the tan you retained from your adventures at sea. With a grin, you surrender your weapon to Geno before plopping down onto the patch of grass for a nap.

Geno settles right beside you.

“…one more run, huh?”

***You sleepily reply an affirmative. One more run.**

* * *

You fall face-first into a bed of flowers.

To your surprise, the impact _hurt_ more than usual. Despite the bed of flowers under you, your skull feels as if it just split open. Something wet slides down your temple. Blood. You’re bleeding. You’re injured. A pained whimper escapes your lips. You smell something burning behind you but your head throbs too much for you to sit up and look.

It takes you what feels like hours to recover enough to sit up. Your ears are still ringing, but your head doesn’t hurt as much. You open your eyes and wince when you see dried blood on the flowers.

Your turn and look over your shoulder. If there had been fire, it’s long burned out now. What’s left is a surprisingly intact…ship? Plane? It hurts to think too hard, but you soldier on and rifle through the knowledge that the Frisk in the last run had imparted to you.

It’s not something sea-related but…oh. You know now.

It’s a _spaceship._ A small one, but if the other Frisk’s experience in reading sci-fi adventure novels in the library is correct, it’s supposed to launch a group of people into the skies and beyond. You’ve never seen the sky before, so the concept of anything _beyond_ that is new to you. You wonder if Geno could explain it to you better.

You look down at yourself.

Instead of the standard striped sweater and shorts, you’re wearing some sort of white, baggy gown. It’s dirtied from the fall and the blood. Your body is riddled with bruises and scratches. To your surprise, you find a tattoo on the underside of your right wrist. You recognize the letters F, R, and K. _Your name_ , you note with interest. Whoever put this on you did a poor job on the I and the S, but you don’t mind. You’re thrilled to see something new on your skin. You wiggle your toes. You’re completely barefoot.

**“Frisk”**

**LV 1**

**HP 10/20**

**AT 0 (0) EXP: 0**

**DF 0 (0) NEXT:10**

**WEAPON: None**

**ARMOR: None**

**GOLD: 0**

You frown when you notice that you have nothing on you. That won’t do. Especially when you’re going into this new version of the Underground blind. You drag yourself toward the downed spaceship. The door to it is absent. It’s probably how you flew out of the thing when you crashed. You climb into the structure and shuffle around. To your relief, you find a kit holding bandages.

You wrap it around your head wound and breathe out a sigh of relief. Much better.

Now that you’re less disoriented, you reach into your mind to see if there’s anyone else there. To your surprise, there is. But they’re silent. Knocked out by the crash, probably. You’re a little disappointed that there aren’t any new memories to shed light in your current situation. It would’ve been helpful.

Still, it won’t be good to stay in one place. You get up onto your feet.

* * *

Instead of walking into a room to face Flowey, you end up climbing _out_.

At first, you had felt trepidation when you saw that there were no doorways leading out of the room. You felt trapped and unsure of how to proceed forward. And then, you look behind the downed ship.

Apparently, when the spaceship crashed, it had crashed _through_ and _into_ the room instead of down as you had previously assumed, leaving behind some rough slope-like pathway up and out of the crashing site. The path isn’t the smoothest, but you manage to make the climb.

Once you finish climbing out, you look around. All breath seems to leave you at the sight. You’ve just climbed up and into a field of golden flowers. Aside from the mountain behind you, the land seems to be covered with these flowers. When you look up, you let out a gasp. A wide expanse of sky stretches out above you, taking your breath away as thousands upon thousands of stars twinkle back at you.

It’s like the wishing room except better. So much better.

Even as you begin to walk forward, you don’t take your eyes off of the sight above you.

That ends up being a mistake. You trip over Flowey.

* * *

It’s a miracle that you manage to get through the Ruins with how distracted you are by the sight of the galaxies stretched above you. You stumble and trip about the Ruins, too enthralled with your surroundings to care too much about your scuffed knees and scratched hands.

Most of the monsters you meet end up feeling too bad for you to pull you into an Encounter. Honestly, the loss of HP mostly happens because of your own carelessness. Aside from the occasional Vegetoid and Woshua, your only other obstacle are the puzzles.

Well. That, and your sudden habit of helping out every distressed monster you happen upon. First, it’s a Froggit who got separated from his brother. Then, it’s a Whimsum who lost a cherished item. Some of these monsters return your kindness with monster candy, spider donuts, or some spare G.

***(Despite your own plans, you decide to help every monster in need. You are filled with Integrity.)**

***(You have activated skill: GRAVITY! You can walk on any surface now.)**

By the time your reach Toriel’s doorstep, you’ve befriended just about every monster in the Ruins and become an honorary member of the spider clan with your newfound wall-walking skills.

* * *

Along with a plate of warm, butterscotch pie, Toriel gifts you clothes to replace your flimsy gown. When you receive your navy-blue sweater with yellow stripes and overalls, you’re over the moon. You “ooh” and “aah” over the cute save point-shaped accessories and jump gleefully in your new, mid-calf length boots.

Of course, despite Toriel’s generosity, you intend to move forward.

**ACT:**

***Nothing *How to exit the RUINS**

***You ask Toriel how to exit the Ruins.**

To your surprise, Toriel doesn’t deflect your question or react with poorly hidden distress. Instead, she leads you down to the basement and right to what appears to be a pedestal made out of crystal and kneels down to your level with a gentle look in her eyes.

“My child, I have heard that you have helped so many monsters in your short time in the Ruins. Though I might have been reluctant with anyone else, I believe that you are capable of taking care of yourself outside of the Ruins.”

Toriel then sends you out on an errand to the next planet over for groceries along with some pocket money and a cell phone to call her if you ever need her help. She implores you to return to the Ruins before it gets too dark.

***(Though it was your intention to leave the Ruins and never come back, Toriel has tasked you with an important mission: get groceries and come home before dinner. You cannot, without a conscience, turn away her simple request. Not after everything she has done and especially not after she has placed her faith in you.)**

***(You decide to accept her errand. You are filled with Integrity.)**

Toriel beams at your response and leads you onto the crystal pedestal right where the Ruin doors are supposed to be. You squeak as it lights up beneath your feet.

“Do not fear, my child. This is merely a planet warp pad. It’s very safe, I assure you!” She giggles. It’s the last thing you see before your surroundings shift. Within a blink of an eye, you’re somewhere else and there’s snow everywhere. Hit with a sudden wave of dizziness, you stumble off of the warp pad and fall face-first into the snow.

You hear a laugh before someone helps you up. A whoopee cushion goes off and you look up to see this universe’s Sans.

To your humble opinion, this version of Sans has the puffiest, floofiest hoodie you’ve ever set your eyes on. You wonder if he’d ever let you touch the fluff that lines his hood. You hope so.

“seems like we have an otherworlder in our _hands_.” Sans puns as he steadies you, completely unaware of your thoughts. “so potential invader, what brings you to the outerground?”

* * *

“HUMAN…” For once, Papyrus looks as if he’s at a loss for words. “ARE YOU FEELING…WELL? YOU SEEMED TO HAVE TAKEN A TUMBLE. MANY TIMES. IT’S VERY CONCERNING. PERHAPS YOU ARE IN NEED OF A HEALER?”

***You assure Papyrus that you’re completely fine. Yes, you might have stumbled for the nth time because you weren’t paying attention, but you’re feeling great. Wonderful, even.**

You continue to admire the Snowdin sky above you. Somehow, it looks different than the sky that you saw back in the previous planet. Many shades of blues and purples twist and fade into each other, serving as a beautiful backdrop to the many stars – and even planets! – in front of your eyes.

So pretty…

“eh…y’know, kid, paps has a point. you’ve been pretty _spacey_ this entire time. you’ve been completely _outer_ your head.”

“SANS.”

“c’mon, bro, laugh a little. i’d say that my jokes are pretty _stellar_.”

“SANS. YOU ARE NOT HELPING.”

“yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Sans acquiesces before turning back to you. “on a more _sirius_ note, _jupiter_ listen to papyrus and get yourself to a healer. your hp is…well, it’s not terrible, but with how you’re tripping and falling, you might be on your way for a bit of trouble.”

In the end, the concerned Skeleton Brothers bring you right into Snowdin to heal you up. Since you’re there, you buy the groceries from Toriel’s list and begin making your way home. You’re then sidetracked into helping another monster carry their own groceries home.

***(The monster thanks you once again for your help. It’s getting late, but they wouldn’t have made it back home as soon as they did without an extra helping hand. You are filled with Integrity.)**

Well. Time for you to go back to the Ruins. As you begin to make you way out of Snowdin Town, you hear an excited cry.

“Look! Look! It’s the lights!”

Many monsters look up and make sounds of appreciation. Curious, you also look up.

You nearly drop your groceries.

Ribbons of bright, colorful light fill your vision. It shrouds the stars as it dances over the town. You can only stand and gape at the sight you’re just gifted with. Not for the first time, you feel like the luckiest person alive. You’ve seen so many amazing things and it’s just your first day. How many can be so fortunate to experience something like this?

You want Geno to see this.

“looking at the sky again, huh?”

Something cold blocks your view of the sky. You blink and realize that it’s a Space Cream. You accept it from Sans gratefully and take a bite. He takes a bite from his own. He hums thoughtfully.

“you know, it’ll be pretty late by the time you reach the warp pad on your own.” When seeing your stricken expression, Sans chortles. “it’s fine, it’s fine. lucky for you, your buddy sans knows a shortcut.” He waves your thanks away. “hey, it’s nothing big. if you really feel that much about it, just come back tomorrow and humor my bro.”

* * *

After you doze off in your comfy bed, you dream of Geno again.

It’s a nice dream. You see Geno sitting on the patch of grass and watching the screen. You see the same colorful lights you had witnessed before playing in front of him. He’s just as awestruck as you were. Your chest warms at his happiness and amazement.

Next time, you’ll save a Space Cream just for him.

* * *

The next day, you return to Snowdin’s planet to spend time with Papyrus.

***(You have the Integrity to fulfill your promise, after all.)**

You spend most of your morning trading japes with Papyrus and engaging him in a mock battle. After a spectacular round of competitive dating, you walk out of the Skeleton Brother’s home with Papyrus’ number and friendship.

As thanks, Sans takes you out for a meal at Grillby’s. You try not to stare too much at the space-themed interior of the bar. You almost don’t recognize the fire elemental as he swoops in to take your order of burg – take-out, you insist, with extra packets of ketchup. His flames mirror the night sky instead of having the usual orange glow. He’s kind enough to add in some extra fries in your order.

You end up volunteering to deliver a package to Waterfall Planet for Grillby.

* * *

Waterfall Planet, just as you had guessed, is a planet covered in water. You’re thankful for your boots as you slosh your way through shallower waters to make your delivery. And yet, despite the mild inconvenience, you’re once again blown away by the planet’s beauty.

In the Underground, Waterfall has always been enhanced by the glow coming from crystals and echo flowers. Here, in this planet, the water has neither of those things. Instead, its surface reflects the very sky above it.

A thrilled giggle escapes you as you move forward. It feels as if you’re walking in air! Shooting stars fly above and below you. It seems that it’s a common sight on this planet. In your mind, you rename this place as ‘Starfall’.

Behind you, a sullen monster in armor follows you. That’s right. It’s Undyne herself.

***(You have the Integrity to face the Captain of the Royal Guard and be upfront about your presence. No tiptoeing or running. And yet, your Integrity also rules you to continue your mission to deliver Grillby’s package safely. Nothing will stop you from fulfilling this duty. Not even a homicidal fish monster out for your soul.)**

Surprisingly, logic works wonders. As a representative of the law in the Outergrounds, Undyne can’t attack you without risking damaging whatever is in the package, nor can she let you get away. So, she’s dragged into your delivery quest for the time being.

Much to your amusement and Undyne’s mounting impatience, the monster who receives the package sends you off with a delivery of their own: G.

“C’mon, punk, I can take the G back to Snowdin.”

***You firmly tell Undyne that you don’t know her well enough to hand off this responsibility. While she is supposedly a respected figure, this is Grillby’s hard-earned G and you don’t want to risk handing this off to someone potentially corrupt or careless.**

“Ngaaaah!!! I’ll show you corrupt!”

***You ask Undyne if she’s _confident_ that she wouldn’t forget to deliver the G to Snowdin after all the excitement of taking your soul to the King.**

“…”

***You thought so.**

Once again, Undyne loses to your sound logic. You reach Snowdin and deliver the G to Grillby safely only to see Papyrus and Sans waiting for you. Upon seeing your sulking tagalong, the Royal Guard hopeful beams.

“UNDYNE! I’M SO GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU’RE GETTING ALONG WITH MY NEW FRIEND FRISK!”

What could Undyne do? Even after you finish your delivery, she can’t spear you – not in front of Papyrus. You see her thoughts flitting across her face as clear as day. She storms off, not saying a word.

“OH, IT SEEMS THAT SHE’S BUSY. THAT’S TO BE EXPECTED AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!” Papyrus assures you, ever oblivious. You don’t correct him. “SAY, SINCE YOU’RE BOTH ALREADY FRIENDS, WHY DON’T YOU JOIN US AT OUR COOKING LESSON?”

* * *

The next evening, you come back to Toriel slightly singed and covered in crushed tomatoes, but victorious.

* * *

It’s ironic. Your very first death in this run doesn’t come from a violent Encounter. Instead, it comes while you’re helping another monster. Snowdin, unlike many other planets, is unique in that it is crescent shaped with the town and everything else settled in the cradle of its curve.

Which means that, when not careful, anyone can fall off the edge. You weren’t careful. In your panic, you forgot to use GRAVITY and slipped off the planet and right into space. Your soul shattered almost instantly.

“hey, kid.”

You grin and trot over to Geno’s side without any delay, eager to show and share all the things you saved up for him during your travels. You gift him with Grillby’s food and space sweets. You hand over a fluffy blanket covered in stars that you bought from a shopkeeper. Geno accepts it all of your gifts with wonder.

“kid, you shouldn’t have,” he says tremulously. And yet, despite his words, you see him pulling the blanket closer to himself.

***You tell Geno that you’ll show him real stars under a real sky after everything is over.**

“yeah.” Geno pulls his scarf up over his mouth, but you see parts of a smile peeking over the red cloth. His eyelight twinkles. “i can’t wait, kid.”

* * *

Papyrus and Sans surprise you by taking you to Hotland. Despite it practically being a star itself, monsters have harnessed its heat and energy to power the entire outer system, making it a hotspot for most of the populace. Upon reaching the planet, you’re dazzled by the technology.

When you find out that there’s an Observatory available to the public, you’re over the moon. You eagerly look through the telescope and read all the informational packets. You never knew that there’s so much information about stars – about _space_!

Sans chuckles at your obvious delight.

“you think that’s impressive? you should check out alphs’ lab. she’s got some pretty cool stuff there.”

True to his word, Alphys’ Lab is filled with the biggest telescope you’ve ever seen. It also has other gizmos and knick-knacks that do cool, space things. Despite her initial shyness, Alphys eagerly shows you around her space and shows off her inventions. She answers all of your questions, no matter how seemingly obvious the answers are.

You feel a little bad when you can offer nothing at the face of Alphys’ questions pertaining to ‘Earth’ and ‘humankind’.

“S-So you don’t remember? Anything?” The scientist inquires and your guilt deepens when you see her disappointment. The other Frisk surely knows all the answers to Alphys’ questions and more, but they are still comatose.

***You express your regret. You only remember waking up in the Outer System. You bumped your head a little too hard after the crash.**

“I s-see…”

But then, you’re struck with an idea.

***You offer to bring Alphys parts of your crashed rocket. Though it might not be comparable to the information and discoveries she has shared with you today, it’s still something created by humans, right?**

The answering squeal tells you that you’ve made the right decision.

***(You are filled with Integrity.)**

* * *

You spend most of the next day sorting through the wreckage. Toriel lends you a wagon cart to make the haul easier. Since you’re not entirely sure what parts of the rocket is useful, you end up tossing in whatever looks interesting.

As you rummage through the mess, something small and shiny catches your eye. You pick it up.

***(It’s some sort of chip with your name engraved on it. Take it?)**

***Take it *Leave it**

You pocket the chip. Maybe Alphys will know what it is.

* * *

You dream about Geno again. By now, it’s the norm whenever you sleep. Once again, Geno is standing in front of the screen with a smile on his face. He’s been doing it much more often ever since you landed in this strange, beautiful universe.

Your joy shifts to alarm when you see the shadows move. Dr. W.D. Gaster steps right out so silently that the enraptured Geno didn’t even notice his presence.

And then, he turns _and looks at you_.

Frozen with terror, you can only stare as the scientist raises a finger to his grin in a ‘shushing’ motion. _Be quiet_ , he seems to mock your inability to warn Geno. Then, using the same finger, Gaster points to the screen. Your eyes reluctantly follow and land on the scene playing in front of your friend. It’s you and you’re holding up the chip that you found in the wreckage.

You turn back to Gaster, but you see nothing. He’s gone.

* * *

Alphys flutters around your junk pile with stars in her eyes as she gushes over the technology. She thanks you profusely at your generosity and insists that she do something for you in return.

Remembering the chip that you found, you take it out.

“O-Oh! I haven’t seen one of these in a-ages!”

***You ask Alphys what that is.**

“It’s-s-something that traveling humans would carry around so others know who they are in case…w-well, that part isn’t important. Ignore that. The important part is that it’s a chip that carries information and recorded videos connected to the individual’s identity. The technology is a little different from ours, but with a little bit of work, I’ll be able to download whatever is in here onto one of my screens. Would you…would you like me to try?”

You nod enthusiastically.

Happy that she can help, Alphys offers you a smile. She then promises to call you when she’s done.

* * *

While you wait for Alphys to finish, you wander around Hotland Planet even more. You meet more monsters and see more interesting things. You add in more gifts and snacks to your inventory for Geno to enjoy.

Sans finds you in front of the MTT Space Resort and invites you to a small dinner ‘date’. Since it’s part of the familiar pattern of most runs, you brace yourself for the incoming speech and the threat.

“hey, kid, tell me about yourself. what’s life like on planet earth? you got any family or friends you miss?”

But it doesn’t happen.

***You tell Sans honestly that you don’t remember anything. You hit your head really hard when you landed in the Ebott Quadrant.**

“heh. no wonder you’re such a _space cadet_ , kiddo _._ the crash must’ve knocked everything straight out of the _atmosphere_.” Sans tries to joke, but his eyes are dim. “you lost everything when you landed here, huh?”

***You pout and tell Sans that you didn’t lose _everything_. You show Sans the tattoo on your shoulder proudly. “See?” you insist. You still have your name.**

Sans nods stiltedly before reaching out and tugging your sleeve back over your inked skin. “yeah. i see it, frisk. it’s pretty cool.” He then lets out an exaggerated sigh. “my gift is pretty lame compared to that. oh well. guess i should just return it –”

***You interrupt Sans with a surprised exclamation. He got you a gift? Can he show it to you please?**

“nah. like i said, it’s pretty lame…”

***You tell Sans to let you be the judge of that.**

“i dunno…”

***You beg him to show you.**

Eventually, after dragging his feet for a long while, Sans relents and presents a telescope. It’s a little worn and it’s small, but you clutch onto it as if it’s the greatest gift in the world. You’re happy with the gift and you tell Sans that.

But then Alphys calls to inform you that the chip is too broken from the crash to successfully download any data.

“I’m sorry…” Alphys apologizes over the phone. She sounds so torn and upset about her failure.

***You assure Alphys that it isn’t her fault. You thank her for trying anyways.**

“I’m so sorry for asking this of you right after telling you I failed in helping you,” you hear the scientist stammer through the phone, “but I have a friend who needs help…”

***(Predictably, the friend in need is Mettaton. He apparently needs an extra hand in his show. You decide that, since Alphys is your friend who took her time and effort to try to fulfill your request, you will help. You are filled with Integrity.)**

* * *

Surprisingly, Mettaton does not try to kill you for once. It’s refreshing.

Instead, he incorporates you into his show. You have fun with him under the spotlight, completely dazzled by the food that he has you try and the star-dancing, which involves you jetpacking up into the sky with Mettaton in his EX form.

Unfortunately, because of the jetpacking paired with his more energy-consuming form, the robot gets low on battery, sending the rest of his camera crew in a tizzy since they don’t have a spare at hand.

***You volunteer to go fetch the spare battery.**

Though a bit reluctant, Mettaton accepts your offer and points you to Alphys’ Lab. Since you are armed with your jetpack, you zoom over to the lab pretty quickly. It takes a bit of searching, but you find the battery pack in front of a large monitor. To your surprise, you see your chip inserted to its side.

But isn’t it supposed to be broken? Did Alphys forget to throw it away?

You reach out to tug the chip away from the screen. Upon touching it, though, the screen flickers on and you see an unfamiliar face appear on the screen. It takes you a moment to realize that the face is _human._

The human is a bespectacled woman. An adult, you think. Despite having more likeness to you than any of the monsters you have encountered so far, her expression makes you recoil. It’s not a nice expression. The scornful twist of her lips, the dismissive light in her eyes, you dislike it all.

“Experiment FR-15K, you have been assigned your first and final mission,” the woman announces crisply. It takes a moment for you to realize that she’s talking to _you_. “Despite your… _disappointing_ results in contributing to humankind, we – _The Ark_ – have decided that you are adequate enough to take on this important task.”

As she continues to speak, images and facts pop up in your head. _The Ark_ , a spaceship filled with Earth’s refugees, the remnants of the human race. The planet is no longer inhabitable – hasn’t been for many years. And you. You are one of many experiments created for the express purpose of being the guinea pig to many tests. For what, you were never told. You just know that your results aren’t as impressive as the others.

Your mission is to explore the Ebott Quadrant, which is infamous as an area where satellites and spaceships never returned. The goal is to find out if there are any planets that are inhabitable for the remnants of humankind for the amount of oxygen in the ship is beginning to dwindle. You are not the only one. They sent out many experiments to different quadrants and solar systems, but they sent you here because –

“You are expendable.”

The woman offers a thin smile

“But in this moment, you are being expended for a great cause. I hope you do not disappoint us again.”

FR-15K wakes up. They wake up and you’re forced out of their head.

* * *

Instead of safety, you are met with horror when you tumble into the Save Screen. Geno is nowhere in sight. Only Gaster is there.

The forgotten scientist looms over you.

**“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you face to face.”**

Sharply contrasting his appearance, Gaster’s voice sounds surprisingly smooth and genial as he greets you.

It scares you.

Your mouth is dry. You can’t move. You can only stare back at the monster in front of you. Gaster wants something, you are well aware. Why else would he go through so much effort to get you alone? But what does he want with you? Your soul?

You wrap your arms protectively around yourself.

As if reading your mind, Gaster’s smile widens. **“Oh child. I hold no interest in such a small, fragile soul.”** You bristle at his tone and his words. Yes, your soul is small and still a little shaky, but it’s getting stronger at every run. **“Contrary to your assumptions, I am only here to help you. You see, you are making a terrible mistake.”**

Gaster gestures around himself.

**“This…Save Screen. This prison. What do you think it used to be? I shall enlighten you. It is a resting ground. A place of miracles. And it belongs to Determination-fueled beings like the Demon, who can manipulate Time with a press of a single button. Do you think that you are capable of facing against such a foe? Do you think you are capable of handling their power?”**

You don’t answer.

**“No,”** Gaster answers for you, **“no you cannot. For your own sake, you should stop while you can. There will be dire consequences to what you are attempting.”**

***You tell Gaster that you refuse to give up. Even with your odds, Geno deserves a chance to see his brother again. He deserves a life on the Surface.**

The scientist makes a strange, hissing rattle sound. A laugh, you realize, and not a kind one.

**“Geno,”** Gaster repeats – croons **, “So many failures. So many secrets. He is not a monster who you should put your faith in, human. Trust me, you will end up regretting it in the end.”**

***You tell Gaster that you don’t trust him.**

Something snaps in the air and, for once, Gaster’s smile falls. In its place, a grotesque snarl overcomes the monster’s features.

**“Foolish, ungrateful child,”** he rattles, **“do you really think that he truly cares for something like you? No. You were created to be thrown away.”**

Tendrils shoot out from the shadows and wrap around your ankles and wrists. You scream and struggle when they begin to drag you closer and closer to the dark. The fear that you have toward

***You call for help.**

You nearly cry with relief when you hear the sweet sound of a gaster blaster being charged. Gaster reacts too late and is blasted away with a well-aimed attack. Geno steps into view, completely incensed and visible eye ablaze with magic. He looks a little harried and you wonder what Gaster did to him to keep him distracted.

“hey kiddo, sorry i didn’t come sooner. pretty scary, huh?” Geno catches you glancing fearfully to the shadows. “don’t worry. he won’t be coming back for a while. damn coward is more of the type to slip away and lick his wounds before trying to pull something like that again.”

***You thank Geno for saving you.**

“you shouldn’t have even been in that situation.” Geno grumbles. He comes over and picks you up. You immediately burrow into his arms. “really spooked you, huh? can’t blame you. c’mon, kiddo, let’s get you somewhere with more light.”

Geno brings you over to the patch of grass and settles you onto it. To your surprise, instead of the **Continue** and **Reset** buttons, you face a screen. While you’ve seen it in dreams, this is the first time ever since learning about the genocidal human that you’re seeing it. On the screen, you see the other Frisk moving independently through the Overground.

“heh. yeah. i was pretty confused too. i didn’t know you came back until you called out for help.”

***You explain that the other Frisk woke up after seeing the chip’s message. You don’t know what happened after that. You ask Geno if the other Frisk hurt anyone.**

“no, they didn’t,” Geno assures you calmingly, “they got too much integrity to kill innocent monsters. this frisk is a good one, don’t worry. problem is, they somehow got it into their head that they have to sacrifice themselves to bring down the EMT field keeping the monsters contained in order to save the rest of the humans. can’t understand why…”

***You answer: “It’s because they have the Integrity to stay true to their mission and promise”**

“even if those other humans threw them away?”

***You nod sadly.**

Geno huffs out a sigh. “well, shoot. guess you’re going to have to jump in and take back control before they do something reckless.”

***You agree.**

You walk over to the screen and jump through –

-only to tumble and nearly twist your ankle. Completely befuddled, you try again. Nothing changes. You’re still in the Save Screen and the other Frisk is still making their way to Asgore.

You’re stuck.

* * *

Experiment FR-15K finally reaches the King of Monsters. His abode is surprisingly humble and reminiscent to the planet that held the Ruins. They offer their soul to the king and beg him to grant Mercy to humankind in return. The King looks at them with sad eyes as he kneels down and places his paws on their shoulders.

“No, child, I will not.”

FR-15K is shocked. Failure crashes onto them as they begin to beg the king. They ask him _why?_ Why does he not his people to be free? Does he still despise humankind so? They offer their life and their soul once again.

“hey now.” FR-15K freezes at the familiar voice. They feel a boney hand land on their head, ruffling their hair. “his majesty fluffybuns already made his call. why not let it go?”

The experiment insists that they don’t have much time. Their people might –

“the other humans will be _fine_. if they’re confident enough to wait for ships to come back from outside their solar system, they have enough time to last about a human’s lifespan. believe me, alph and i ran through the numbers. the humans will be able to hold on for that long. or find a different place. doesn’t matter.”

FR-15K stares at the skeleton monster blankly. Alphys’ call about the chip being broken, Mettaton’s attempts to distract them, it was all a lie, wasn’t it?

“yeah,” Sans admits easily, “mostly my idea. we didn’t want you to define yourself over something you don’t even remember. though i guess…we were wrong to do that. i’m sorry.”

“ _W-We’re_ sorry,” Alphys announces as she waddles into view. “I-I can take responsibility for my actions now, Sans. No need to cover for me.”

Undyne and Papyrus bursts into the scene loudly not that long after, making everyone jump. “NOBODY FIGHT! FOR UNDYNE AND I ARE HERE!”

“Yeah!”

FR-15K can only sit back as more and more concerned monsters enter the throne room, calling for the king to Spare your life. _We can wait_ , they all clamor, _this human has an Integrity that we can’t bear seeing struck down._

And then, the crowd parts, revealing Toriel. She stops in front of the experiment and holds out her arms entreatingly. “My child,” she calls out, “please. We would love for you to stay.”

“frisk,” Sans says.

And then, _Frisk_ breaks. They jump into Toriel’s arms and start to cry.

* * *

It’s odd being the outsider for once. And yet, there is nothing else that you can do in your current situation but to sit down and watch as everything unfurls. Flowey, as always, shatters the heartfelt moment with a flair of dramatics that you think Mettaton would appreciate in any other situation.

The familiar rhythm of how it all plays out nearly lulls you into an unexpected nap. But then, the other Frisk begins to _lose_. They do their best to hold their ground, you can see that clearly, but Asriel is only playing around with them.

“guess they don’t have enough determination,” Geno muses at your side, “a pity. they almost made it. guess we can’t win them all.”

The resignation that you hear in your friend’s voice makes your soul lurch. You’re on your feet.

***You refuse to let this be the end. Your Integrity refuses to let this be the end without trying. You feel your soul course with Determinatio ~~n~~ as you reach out for something – _anything_ – that can help turn the tide. There must be something that you can do.**

***(You have activated skill: CHOICE! You can offer more choices that weren’t there before.)**

“…kid?”

***With a grin, you tell Geno that you can still SAVE this universe. You reach out for the other Frisk –**

* * *

Frisk knows that their eventual victory against Asriel was because of outside help. Despite not seeing anyone else or hearing a voice, they know that their mysterious benefactor filled up their ITEMS with Hopes and Dreams and significantly lowered the damage from the attacks that hit.

Even now, their SAVE button is lighting up as if directing them to press it. Frisk does so without hesitation. Their actions stutter to a halt when a glowing RESET button appears before them.

Did…did the unknown entity want them to RESET? Though Frisk never interacted with the button during their time in the Ebott Quadrant, they knew deep in their _soul_ what this thing did – and they didn’t like it. Rewriting time? Memories? Hard work?

But then, their ACT button lights up. Frisk pushes it and looks at their options, hoping for the best.

**ACT:**

***Break the RESET button *Do not**

***(Please break it)**

Frisk feels relief when seeing their options. Their benefactor is only looking after their hard-earned happy ending after all! With much enthusiasm, Frisk slams their fist onto the button, shattering it into many pieces.

***(This beautiful world deserves their freedom. And Frisk is not one to turn away such an earnest plea. They are filled with Integrity.)**

For a brief moment, as the button shatters into many shards, time seems to stand still as Frisk’s world goes dark. They see…they see _you_. You and Sans…except, not their Sans? And you, you’re wearing the same overalls as them and they have Sans’ telescope – just like them! You stare back at Frisk, completely surprised that they can see you.

You wave.

And then, Frisk is alone again. Even though they cannot see you anymore, they wish you luck. When their eyes had met yours, Frisk knew that you are someone in a quest. They hope that you are successful.

With that, they turn their eyes to the endlessness of space with excitement. No barriers to hold monsterkind back now. And Frisk will be there with them.

* * *

You and Geno share a nervous smile while facing the **Continue** and **Reset** button. One last run, you tell yourself. One last run to Save Geno’s Papyrus and his Underground. You’ve done this seven times already. You can do this again.

For Geno.

“ready?” he asks you.

***You tell him that you’re ready.**

You take a deep, shaky breath and steady yourself. You can do this. _You can do this._

You jump through.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcannon that the stress and desperation that monsters face in Undertale doesn't apply to the monsters in Outertale. As a result, monsters are less prone to attack. Asgore, aside from the first human he encountered after the death of his children and out of self-defense against desperate humans wanting to take his soul to cross over the EMT field, generally leaves the peaceful humans be to live out their natural lifespan. These humans mostly remained in the Ruins. 
> 
> Also, post Outertale, Toriel proceeds to pick up and adopt every human experiment she finds during the Frisk and co.'s space travels. Goat Mama is best Mama and everyone is happy. The End.
> 
> Links:  
> Outertale Wiki [Here](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Outertale)  
> Outertale Official Tumblr [Here](https://outertale.tumblr.com)


	12. The Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. You're finally in Undertale about to face the greatest challenge yet.
> 
> Good luck.

You fall face-first into a bed of golden flowers.

_“…Frisk?”_

Your entire body locks up. Not even a few minutes into this run and there’s already someone else with you in your head. You slowly sit up and reorient yourself from the fall. In the back of your head, you feel the other voice’s surprise, elation, and hope. You don’t know how to respond to it.

_“Frisk? Is it – is it really you? I thought you –”_

Then, everything goes silent.

_“…No.”_

You feel something dark and angry pull you away from the front seat of the body. It holds you down, giving you absolutely no room to struggle. You feel a sense of panic beginning to set in. _This_ is the danger you’ve been preparing to face against. _This_ is what Geno has lost everything to.

_“You are not my Frisk. Speak. Who are you, intruder?”_

The other presence is impatient. They don’t wait for you to answer. Instead, they sink their claws into your mind and _rips you apart_. Memories fall and unfurl from you like ribbons despite your attempts at resisting.

_“Oh,”_ the Demon’s voice takes a venomous edge, _“so you’re **his** friend.”_

You shudder in terror as the darkness pulls you in deeper.

_“I’m going to **enjoy** every moment of this.”_

* * *

The darkness that the demon plunges you into is nothing like the Save Screen. It’s heavy. It’s stifling. You’re awake and struggling the entire time, but you can’t see anything. You can’t hear anything. What’s happening? How much time has passed? What does the Demon have planned for you?

_“Wakey, wakey,”_ the Demon coos as if summoned by your thoughts, _“time to come back.”_

Suddenly, you’re back in your body. The entire experience is disorienting, and you take a second to steady yourself. Your gaze hands on your hands and…oh.

_Oh._

That’s…that’s a knife. You’re holding a knife. When did the Demon pick up and knife? And your hands…oh god. _Oh god._ They’re so dusty. There’s dust everywhere and – god. You feel your eyes begin to water as you try to wipe it off, but _it clings to your sleeves and doesn’t let go_. What did they do? **What did they do?**

You don’t realize that you’re screaming until you’re thrown into the back of your mind.

* * *

_“You’re so weak,”_ the Demon scoffs as they clear out the Ruins. You see monsters cower and cry as they are cut down. They beg for _Mercy_ for their families and friends as they fall apart. It took you a while to stop screaming, but the horror and devastation that you feel at every death remain. The Demon feels your pain and rolls their eyes. _“I can’t believe that cast-off comedian thought that you’d stand a chance against me.”_

You shudder as you feel the LV increase. It feels so cold as it crawls down your back.

***You ask the Demon how they can bear the feeling of LOVE.**

_“Weak,”_ they assert again. But they answer your question. _“I can bear it because of my Determination. Unlike you, I took the initiative to become strong.”_

There is an underlying bitterness in the Demon’s voice that makes you pause.

***(You remember your friend, Chara. You remember their scars and fears. For a brief moment, you wonder if the Demon was once the same person your friend is before they chose to go down this path.)**

But then you remember your own position. This isn’t the time to sympathize with your enemy. The ghost forcing you to watch them commit atrocities for their own entertainment is not your friend, who had learned to trust and let down their barriers long enough to break down another.

_“I buried that part of myself alive a long time ago,”_ the Demon notes, catching your thoughts and regarding the image of your friend with a surprising amount of nostalgia. _“That kind of naïve hope and kindness had no place here.”_

***You argue that Chara was far stronger than them. They might have never gained any LOVE, but they understood love.**

_“Don’t preach that bullshit to me,”_ they spit, _“it’s just lip-service. When has love really Saved anyone from the terrible things in the world? It just makes you weak and stupid. It’s why all the monsters here are so easy to play with. Your friend on the other side can agree. He’s watched it all, hasn’t he?_

Anger surges through you at their taunt.

***You tell the Demon that they are pathetic.**

_“So high and mighty. Well, let’s see how long you’ll keep it up. You’re going to enjoy the power it gives you eventually, Imposter,”_ the Demon croons, _“maybe not now, but you will. I’ll make sure of it.”_

* * *

Toriel crumbles away in front of you. Her disbelief and bitterness at the Demon’s ruthlessness is well deserved and you add her onto the list of the many monsters who have fallen because of your weakness. You tried to fight it. You really did. But in the end, the Demon shrugged off every effort like they were nothing.

But what appalls you the most is the utter indifference of the Demon in the end of all of it. No regret. No hesitation. There isn’t even a shred of victory. Just…nothing.

***You demand to know how they can be so heartless. Toriel was their mother.**

You feel the Demon shrug. _“It’s not like she’s not going to stay dead.”_

***You wonder if this is what they told themselves the first time they did it.**

_“It doesn’t really matter, does it?”_ You feel a wave of irritation from the Demon at your needling and judgement. _“You ask the most useless questions, Imposter. And for what? It’s not as if you’re changing anything by knowing the answers.”_

***You want to understand why they are doing these things. What purpose is there in killing and torturing everyone in the Underground?**

The Demon tilts their head consideringly at your question.

_“Why?”_ They repeat. They ponder. And then, they smile. You wince at the feeling of it stretching too wide across the body’s face. _“Because it’s **fun** , of course!”_

***You express your doubts on that. You recall their indifference and boredom at the act of cutting down monsters. They must have gone through the Underground more than a thousand times. Nothing else seems to be left to catch their attention anymore. Actually, the only time you’ve sensed them feel anything close to interest was when –**

You stop your train of thought right there. The Demon’s cruel amusement seems to skyrocket into satisfaction as they feel your horrified realization.

_“You came along just when everything was getting so **boring** ,”_ the Demon confirms with sickening glee. _“This is going to be so much fun!”_

* * *

“don’t you know how to greet a new pal? turn around and shake my hand.”

The relief that you feel is almost instinctive when you see Sans standing in front of you. For a moment, you feel as if everything is going to be okay now that he’s in the picture.

But then, the Demon scoffs.

_“Out of all the monsters to put your faith in, you turn to that comedian.”_

Your previous elation dims as the Demon shakes Sans’ hand. They giggle at the whoopee cushion trick and every other lazy pun that the skeleton throws at them as if they haven’t heard it a thousand times before. The only comfort that you have is the faint wariness lingering in the skeleton’s eyelights during their interactions.

But even that does not urge Sans to act as the Demon continues forward. They kill more monsters, but still no one comes.

_“Monsters aren’t as pure and wonderful as you think. They aren’t innocent.”_ The Demon informs you when they sense your disappointment in Sans’ continued inaction. _“Especially the comedian.”_

Before you can argue, memories are forced upon you. You see images of the many armors and weapons found scattered around the entire Underground. A ribbon there. A pair of glasses over there.

And then, you’re bombarded with images of Sans. His station being the closest to the Ruin Entrance. Most of monsterkind not knowing what humans look like despite there _already being six souls_ in Asgore’s grasp. Sans’ important role as the kingdom’s Judge. The weight he places on the promise he made to the stranger at the other side of the door. Like pieces of a puzzle, it all comes together to paint a terrible conclusion.

_“That’s right. The Comedian you admire and look up to so much is the very same monster who dragged helpless human **children** at the feet of my father for slaughter.”_

***You shake your head. You refuse to believe that Sans – that _Geno_ – would ever do such a thing.**

***(…But you can’t deny the facts in front of you.)**

_“Not so great after all, huh?”_ The Demon asks. Instead of sounding smug at your inner turmoil, they sound almost…empathetic. _“It made me angry too. Monsters were supposed to be better than **this**.”_ You hear their disgust. _“But they’re not. So now they have to suffer.”_

***…**

_“Hey. I know that I did some terrible things to you. And I’m sorry. Your situation is actually a lot like mine. We’re not so different, you and I. Why don’t we work together in making these monsters pay? We can be partners.”_

***You refuse.**

There is a moment of shocked silence that follows after your rejection. You’re not sure whether the Demon’s surprise was from your answer or how quickly you responded. In the end, you decide that you don’t care. You might be disappointed in Geno’s role in the deaths of the other humans, but you don’t think the Demon has the right to play around with everyone’s lives. You want no part of that.

_“Fine.”_ The Demon spits out after they recover from their shock. You think you hear a little hurt in their voice. _“I shouldn’t have expected anything more from an **imposter**.”_

You forget that the Demon is also a child. A powerful child filled with vengeance and spite. One who has seen into your mind and knows where they should hit to make it hurt.

_“Just for that, I’ll make sure you’ll watch Papyrus die,”_ they snarl, _“over and over and **over** again!”_

* * *

You can tell the Demon intends to keep true to their oath. You feel their anticipation when they catch sight of Papyrus’ figure blocking their path at the edge of Snowdin.

And it scares you.

“HALT, HUMAN!” Papyrus speaks. He lectures the Demon for their dislike for puzzles and the dustiness of their hands. “IT FEELS LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY!”

You wonder _how_. _How_ was Chara able to push themselves to cut down Papyrus the first time? With such a show of faith and bravery, _how_ can Chara not be moved to stop?

Suddenly, you’re torn away from the backseat. You feel the coldness in the air and the feeling of the dagger’s handle at your palm.

But you are not in control.

You realize what the Demon plans to do.

***You beg Chara not to do it. Out of all of the monsters standing in their way, Papyrus has always been good, just, and kind. You beg them not to make you kill him.**

_“You should’ve thought about this before turning down my offer,”_ the Demon sings, gleeful that you are suffering. You fruitlessly struggle against the force. You try to stop your legs. You try to pull back. But nothing works.

“I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!”

***Please, don’t. Please. Please. Stop. Stop.**

You feel your arm raise up in preparation for the swing while staring at Papyrus’ smiling face.

* * *

No.

* * *

You refused.

* * *

**-9999999**

“…what…?”

The Demon look down numbly. Instead of dust, there is blood on the snow. So much blood.

It hurts.

“H-How?” They ask you, ignoring Papyrus’ worried cries completely. “Your Determination still isn’t strong enough…”

***You are made of more than your Determination.**

The Demon’s mistake was bringing you so close to the surface and getting distracted by your pain. Their mistake was their overconfidence in their control over you. Yes, your Determination can’t counter the Demon’s on its own, but you still have other traits that you had painstakingly gathered throughout your journey.

You channeled all of it. Everything that you have, you gave to changing the angle of the swing of the dagger.

The more blood the body loses, the lower the HP dips. You both don’t have that much time left. Reaching out, you wrap yourself around the Demon and hold on tight just as your soul shatters.

And then, everything goes completely dark.

* * *

You open your eyes to the Save Screen.

You’re on the ground. On the…patch of grass? And there’s someone beside you. You sit up and wince. The aftershocks of your last death still linger on your body despite being in a timeless place.

“kid!” Geno steps into the light. His worry melts into an expression of utter hatred when it lands on the body next to you. His eye glows and a set of bone attacks pins them down instantly. **“ y o u .”**

“Me.” The Demon blinks back innocently.

“Tell me, comedian, what happened to our dear friend Frisk?”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geno, we need answers.


	13. Frisk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ending you've always wanted is so close. You can feel it. All it takes is a little more Determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading “With a Little Soul that Could”. It’s been a blast writing this fic and acting as your tour guide through the multiverse. Now, onto our final chapter.

“Well?”

Geno’s glare had long since been wiped away. His eyelight gutters out, leaving behind an empty stare. Despite the emptiness, you somehow know that he’s no longer looking at the Demon. He’s looking at _you_.

“…Nothing to say, huh?”

The Demon’s innocent façade manages to hold for a few moments before it darkens into something angry and accusing.

“For someone who holds the title of a Judge, you’re pretty dirty yourself. You _hypocrite_. Did you enjoy killing Frisk? I bet you did. Six children weren’t not enough for you, were they? You sick freak.” They scoff when they see Geno flinch. “Don’t act like you regret it just because someone else is here. Isn’t keeping up that act tiring?”

***You tell them to cut it out.**

The Demon rounds their glare onto you.

“Are you _still_ on _his_ side?! After everything you’ve heard, aren’t you a little upset? Even when his secrets are all out in the open, this guy _still_ keeps his mouth shut about what he did!”

***You firmly inform them that they haven’t given Geno the chance to speak.**

To your surprise, the Demon goes quiet. You turn to Geno, wordlessly urging him to answer and explain.

And eventually, Geno does. “yeah, it’s true. i killed my world’s frisk,” he admits. “not my best moment, i know, but…i was just _so angry_. they’ve been playing around with my world a long while before that demon child took over and kicked them into the save screen. they killed _me._ **they killed my brother** –

Geno cuts himself off. You see him forcing himself to calm down. You wait patiently for him to recover enough to continue.

“frisk wasn’t dead by the time i was finished with them. they couldn’t die. it’s the save screen. but they were pretty close to it. i didn’t know what happened. first their body was there and then ‘poof’. gone. it’s like they just…gave up.”

You know what Geno is talking about. You almost gave up too.

The Demon breaks their silence with a harsh scoff. “Figures that they’d give up. Frisk never saw things through until the end.” But they aren’t fooling you. There’s a note of well-hidden grief in their voice and you pity them.

“after that, i tried to work with the other sans in my timeline to take chara down. it took a couple of tries before we realized that, without frisk, it’s not possible to achieve a happy ending. it was always going to end in genocide. sans gave up. i erased his memories and never invited him back into the save screen since. heh. better just one of us suffering from the knowledge, y’know? it all seemed so hopeless. but then…there was you.”

Geno stares at you. He doesn’t continue after that. You realize that he’s waiting for your response. Both he and the Demon are. Their gazes feel heavy as they wait for you to make your judgement on the matter.

***You think you understand now. It makes sense. You always thought it was strange. Ever since the beginning, you’ve always wondered why? Why was Geno being so nice to you?**

***It’s because he needed a ‘Frisk’.**

Geno’s expression twists into dismay at your words. “kid, _no_. that’s not – i don’t think of you like that.”

“But you _did_. Don’t lie,” the Demon – _Chara_ – says cuttingly, “we’re all past doing that now.”

***You tell Geno that he doesn’t have to explain himself.**

“Ha. See? Even the Imposter Frisk is tired of your bullshit.”

***You repeat yourself. Geno doesn’t have to explain himself…because you understand. Geno was in a desperate situation and, when he saw an opportunity, he took it. You know this because it was the same for you back in the blank place. And yet, despite everything, Geno chose to be kind. He never had to be, but he was.**

***And he’s come to care for you, right?**

_“of course.”_

It’s said with such certainty that any lingering doubts you had about Geno’s friendship is wiped away in an instant. You smile.

***You tell Geno that you care about him too.**

“and…about the other things?” Geno brings up hesitantly. You can tell that he’s struggling so much to bring his past sins back up. But he’s still doing it. “they’re true too. i’m not gonna lie to you, kiddo, i’m not – i’m not a good monster.”

***Perhaps. But it’s not your place to judge or forgive, nor do you want to. But if Geno really needs your input, you believe that Geno has been ‘punished’ enough after everything he had to endure in the Save Screen.**

***And he did it for Papyrus, hadn’t he?**

You’re certain. As certain as you are that there is a Surface, you know that what Geno did was all for his brother. Every Sans that you have encountered has always shown to do whatever they can for their little brothers’ happiness.

The tenseness of Geno’s shoulders falls away as if a great weight was just lifted away from them. He returns your smile with his own grin.

Chara then chooses to shatter the warm moment.

“That’s it then. You’re just going to overlook his sins and let him off scot free just because he was _nice_. Because he loves his brother _so much._ ” They mock.

***You understand that the deaths of the other six children isn’t a light sin. It’s sad and unfair that their lives were cut short. You can understand their anger concerning their Frisk’s death too. They were close, weren’t they? Then it’s natural for Chara to desire for Justice. Why be Patient and wait for karma to strike when they can deliver it with their own hands? If they wished to make the ones responsible to face the consequences, you wouldn’t agree with them, but you would at least understand. And yet, that is not what happened.**

“No, that is _exactly_ what happened. I made them _pay_.”

***You argue that Chara never had the Integrity to see their ‘punishment’ through and move forward from that point. Instead, they repeated it all again and again, unwilling to let any consequence stick. You see no Bravery or Kindness in their actions, only cowardice and cruelty. Which is why you believe they are not suitable to Continue.**

If glares can kill, you’d be dead a thousand times over.

“Say that you’re right.” A beat. A false moment of consideration that sets you on edge. “Say that I really _don’t_ deserve to Continue. What makes you think that you have the Determination to take it away from me? Hm? **Who is in control here?** You? Don’t make me laugh.”

Chara sneers at you.

“Give up. Your Determination only managed to gain you a _second_ of control. I managed to come back from the dead.”

***You tell Chara that their Perseverance is admirable, but they are still dead. They are just a ghost who clings onto the past to the point that they refuse to end the cycle even if it is to see a new tomorrow. You refuse to leave the future in the hands of someone like that.**

***(You are filled with Determination.)**

Fear flashes across Chara’s face as they feel the Determination they had clung onto so jealously slip through their fingers and begin rushing over to you. Your small, trembling soul pulses as a vibrant red join the many other colors. In that moment, you _know_ that you have just taken all control from Chara’s grasp.

“What makes you think you’ll do any better? That you’ll _be_ any better?” Chara demands almost desperately. “It was a _Frisk_ who started it!”

***You say, “and I’m going to finish it!”**

Your statement resounds throughout the endlessness of the Save Screen. Chara doesn’t quite quail at the strength of your words, but they’re rendered momentarily speechless as they have nothing else to say or use against you.

“…ha ha.”

You nearly jump at the unexpected huff of laughter coming from the other human child beside you. The tension that the two of you had built up between each other fizzled out in an instant as Chara sags into the grass.

“It’s funny. You sound just like them. I almost believed you for a second.”

You don’t really care about Chara’s belief in you. It’s hard to feel anything for the ghost beside you after being so emotionally drained. You can’t even muster up a sliver of pity as all the fight leaves their body, leaving behind a lost child. Perhaps, if you were stronger than you are, you would have found something within yourself to forgive Chara for what they have done and comfort them.

Perhaps.

***After a long moment, you ask them: “Aren’t you tired?”**

“Yeah.”

***You suggest that they rest.**

“…Yeah.”

With no more Determination and no more anger to hold onto, Chara Dremurr gives up. In front of your eyes, their form sinks and fades into the grass like a sigh of relief.

You look away from the empty spot.

“kid.”

You turn to Geno and see that his arms are open.

“c’mere.”

You scramble to your feet and run right into them, knocking the air out of his nonexistent lungs. All the pain and horror from the recent events breaks through your shock and you silently weep into Geno’s shirt. When he recovers, he wraps you up and holds you close like he always does.

“it’s okay. it’s okay. you did great, kid. it’s over now.”

It’s over.

* * *

After your cathartic moment with Geno, the relief and joy sets in.

It finally hits you: _You and Geno are going home._

You beam.

Geno chuckles when he sees you in higher spirits. It’s certainly better than seeing you in tears. You jump out of his arms and start to bounce on your feet. “what’s got you all _jumpy_ , kiddo? you’re _over the moon_.”

***You tell Geno that you’re so happy. You can finally end the cycle of Resets. You can finally bring everyone to the Surface.**

Geno’s gaze softens. “yeah,” he agrees, “you can bring them all home now. no more resets.”

***You can finally show Geno the stars – for real this time. You tell him that you can’t wait.**

“…yeah.”

You pause in your celebratory dance when you hear the odd tremor in Geno’s voice. You turn to him in confusion. Instead of the straightforward joy and excitement you had expected, the expression on Geno’s face is a complicated one.

***You ask Geno what is wrong.**

“i…” Geno trails off before he straightens with a determined look in his eye. “kid, there’s something that you need to know. i can’t g_ _it_ y̶̥̮̱̼̳͍̬̺̦̑̓͐̆͋̂̑̽̿̂̀̏̀͊͆͠͠o̴̪̻͙̼̹̫̲̗̣̔̐̔̒́͛̀͑̿͒̊͛͐̾͑̈̑̅̈͋͘̕͜͝͠u̸̧̦̞̯͎̬̩̮̖̠̘͑̔͜ ̸̹͙̌̿̊͋̀̿͂͋̋̃̋͊͊͛̃̎̓̎̌̍̓͜ţ̶̺̫̱̮̙̥͉̭̠͔̩̺̦̫̩̙̋͜͜o̸̢̧̺̦͕̺̘̞̖̠͙̭̘͕̹̍̀̊ͅ ̸̨͉̥͎̼̝̙̪̹͎͚̖̖͖͐͒̿̀̑̕t̶̢͚͍̪̺̞͍̮͇̥̄͐̍̒̄̒̋̓͂̃̌̊̏́̅͝h̸̨̢̨̧̡̼̘̖͇̗̺̭͇̦̱̜̥̐̒͊̈́͋͌̃̋̄̓̑̿ͅè̸͕͉̽̈́͊̉̃̃͗͐͆̆̀͠ͅ ̴̛̛͉͔̋́͐́̑̉̽̃̈́͆̑͘s̸̛̻̖̬̭͔̮͉̠̗̰̾̔̋̊̏̐̓͌̐̊̆̃̂́͂̾̍̑̚̕̚͝_̵̧̧̻̖̦̙͔̞̀̈́͝r̸̛͍̙̈̈͂͑̅͐̊̌̊͒̀͒̓͊̑͆́́̇̂̿̚͠f̶̛̰͖̺̹̯͎͖̏͂̇̅̓͒̔͛̀͐͊́̈́̑͘͝ā̸̢̢͕͓̬̣̺̺̼̘̭̞̘̖̺̦̮̊̓̏̃̍͗̓͋̊̀͂̈́͂̊̐̐̕̕͜͠͠_̷̧̡̨̨̨̢̛̛͕̺̺̪͎̺̟͎͖͙̹̞̥̬̹̫̐̊̎͒͗̓̈̍̍̐̐̌̅́̎̂̀̽̊̚̕͝e̶̺͓̠̬̊̉̑̾̃́̈́̀̃̐́̾̎̈́͠͝͠͝.”

A terrible headache hits you, making your ears ring. You fall onto your knees and let out a whine, cutting off Geno mid-sentence. You think he asks you something. You’re not too sure. Geno rushes over, hands alight with green magic. It helps soothe most of the pain, but you’re still dizzy.

“hold on there, kid. how’re you feeling?”

***You tell Geno you feel tired.**

“then rest. you’ve had a long day.” Geno’s hand moves over to cover your eyes. You feel yourself drift off. “i’ll be here when you wake up.”

* * *

**"�Did you really think this would work?�"**

* * *

“ –up, kid! wake up!”

You jerk awake after being jostled in Geno’s arms. He’s running away from something. You’ve never seen him run before. Suddenly alert, you do your best to look around your surroundings. As always, it’s an endless black, but the patch of green grass is nowhere to be seen. What’s happening?

And then, it hits you.

“gaster,” Geno confirms, somehow able to sense the direction of your thoughts even without looking at you. His visible eye socket is alight with magic so volatile that you can feel its intensity from your position in Geno’s arms. He looks around himself warily as he runs.

Geno’s caution is rewarded when a tendril lashes out from the darkness and attempts to grab at you. He shortcuts away in time while simultaneously summoning multiple blasters. You hear the tell-tale sounds of the blasters charging up for an attack as Geno continues to run.

“i won’t let him touch you, kid. don’t worry –

You don’t know what happened. In one moment, Geno is running and holding back Gaster’s tendrils with his blasters. In the next, you’re flying out of his arms after a small explosion goes off behind you two.

You slam into something, which is impossible because there should be nothing in the Save Screen. And yet it still happened. You manage to right yourself to look at what you accidentally crashed into. You freeze.

The door.

Geno rushes over to your side and helps you up. You see him catch sight of the door. He recognizes it, you can see, but there’s something else in his expression that makes you falter. It’s the same look he gets when he has an _idea_. Maybe it’s because you’ve spent so much time with him that you know instantly what he wants you to do.

No, you want to say, no, no, no, no.

Geno looks apologetic, but he doesn’t retract his unspoken idea. “gaster wants you gone. he won’t stop until he succeeds and i can’t fight him off and protect you at the same time. this is the only place he can’t reach. i don’t want you getting hurt. kid, _please._ ” You look at Geno. “do you trust me?”

***…**

***You tell Geno that you do.**

Geno wastes no time opening the door. You see the endless white stretching beyond the doorway and feel your heart stutter before it picks back up, quicker than before. You don’t notice that you’re hyperventilating until Geno turns you away from the sight and to himself.

“slow breaths,” he coaches you, “that’s it. in and out. again. in…and out. good. that’s it.”

***You apologize for being so scared.**

Geno winces. “no, i pushed you too hard. this is a scary thing that i’m making you do.” He’s short on time, you realize. His blasters can only hold off Gaster for so long. But he’s still comforting you and being so patient.

Your thoughts cut off when Geno takes something out of his inventory. Your eyes widen at the familiar galaxy pattern on the blanket in his hands. He wraps it around you. “here. it’s not so blank anymore this way, right? just keep your eyes on me and it won’t be so bad.”

It helps that your vision is narrowed to only looking forward. You take a steady breath and brace yourself. Right now, you need to be brave.

You take a step back. And then another. And another. You do this until you’re just at the other side of the door. You try to ignore the white underneath you as you clutch onto the blanket even tighter. Geno smiles at you encouragingly.

“don’t open the door. i’ll come back and get ya when it’s safe.”

You’re scared. You don’t want to be here.

But you trust Geno.

“wait for me, kiddo.”

And then, the door closes and you’re alone. You try not to panic when you’re left all alone. Instead, you sit down and make yourself comfortable. You focus on the blanket. You focus on the door. The blankness isn’t so bad as long as you ignored it. Besides, Geno will come. He’ll take care of Gaster and he’ll get you out of here.

You sit alone and wait. And wait.

And wait.

…

…

…

…But nobody came.

* * *

**~~The End~~ **

**End of Arc II: Seven Souls**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...?
> 
> That wasn’t – This isn’t the ending. It wasn’t meant to end like that, what happened?! God, everything is a mess. And I took so much time writing out that ending too.
> 
> No, let’s be optimistic about this! This can be fixed. I’ll just delete this chapter and replace it with the original. I’m sure it’s still in
> 
> **[Author ejected.]**
> 
> **[The Narrator has taken over the story.]**
> 
> **Greetings. I hope you haven’t forgotten me, partner. We have an agreement to fulfill.**
> 
> ****  
> **[CONTINUE?]**  
>  *Yes  
> 


	14. Dark Yet Darker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The knock never comes. So, you take things into your own hands and open the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Open the door.**

You wait.

Every moment in the blank space is terrible, but you wait. You clutch onto the blanket wrapped around your body and trace the stars, trying to draw strength from them. You will see the stars with Geno after this is all over, you tell yourself. You will.

***(The door looms over you as you wait for the knock. And yet, it never comes. It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the endless white around you. It’s suffocating. You feel like you’re going to lose yourself at any moment. You should open the door.)**

No, you shouldn’t. It might not be safe yet. Geno said that he would knock.

…But it’s been a while. Why hasn’t he knocked yet?

You hate how easily the doubt begins to set in.

***(Something must have happened.)**

Fear slowly curls its fingers around your throat as you consider the possibilities. Did Geno lose? Is Gaster doing something terrible to Geno? What if he needs your help? But what if you get in the way?

***(Your soul pulses in response to your growing agitation. It’s trembling too. It’s scared for Geno. _You’re_ scared for Geno. You should open the door.)**

You shake your head and pull your head further into the blanket.

Geno told you not to open the door until he knocks. No matter how much the uncertainty kills you, you will Continue to put your faith in your friend and wait.

* * *

You think you’re beginning to lose yourself.

Just like before, the blankness begins to suck away your colors and your hard-earned traits. Some details in your memory begin to slowly blur and pale, much to your growing anxiety and horror.

***You don’t want to forget.**

But you’re fading. You know it and your awareness of every moment of losing more of yourself terrifies you. How much time will it take before you forget completely? How long will it take before Geno becomes nothing more than a vague feeling that you can’t quite define? What happens when you’re back to square one where you’re left with nothing but your name? You don’t want that.

***Don’t forget.**

You don’t…you don’t want to forget. You don’t want to fade. You don’t want to disappear.

***(So what are you waiting for?)**

You feel the blanket slip off your shoulders as you stand up.

**ACT:**

***Open door *Stay**

***(You turn the knob and fling the door open. Instead of Gaster or Geno waiting for you, there is no one in sight. Just darkness and silence.)**

Curious, you take a step out into the Save Screen.

This time, you don’t flinch when the door swings shut behind you. You’re too busy screaming when the floor gives out under you without warning. You fall. You sink? You descend down, down, down and it’s all dark, darker, yet darker.

**You call out for help.**

**(Someone comes.)**

Gaster appears right in front of you and plucks you from your descent. He holds you with some sort of magic as he inspects you. Gaster recognizes you instantly. He’s angry, you realize with creeping dread. _Very_ angry. 

**“You.”**

A goopy, tar-like substance drips from Gaster’s form as if it’s breaking apart from the sheer, overwhelming negative emotion alone.

**“How irritating to see you again after so long. I thought for sure you were erased.”**

You freeze when Gaster’s gaze lands on your colorful soul. Despite its vibrance, the darkness around you seems to dampen its shine. Gaster looks at it with greed.

**“No matter. You still have some use.”**

You thrash and shout when he reaches out a hand to grab your trembling soul. It looks seconds away from shattering as it always does, but you know for certain that something irreversible will happen if you let Gaster touch it.

**You tell Gaster to stop. You tell him to stay away. You call out for Geno.**

Gaster’s expression takes on a cruel edge.

**“Geno won’t be coming for you, child.”**

Before he can do anything else, you feel a different sort of magic grab ahold of you and tear you away. You let out a sound of surprise as you tumble into an unfamiliar pair of arms. Realizing what had just happened, Gaster whirls around and levels a dirty look at your savior.

“Have we fallen so low that we would harass vulnerable children?” Your breath catches at the familiar voice. You tilt your head up and freeze when your suspicions are confirmed. There is another W.D. Gaster. At least he’s…friendly? You hope very much that he is friendly.

“I suggest you leave.” Your savior suggests stiffly, eyes never leaving the other.

To your surprise, the Gaster in front of you does. He sinks away into the Void almost sulkily. It’s not until he’s completely out of sight when your savior stops his glaring. His expression softens when he looks down at you.

“Hello, child. I am Doctor W.D. Gaster. I apologize for my alternate’s actions. He is…unstable, to kindly put it. An unfortunate side-effect from assimilating too much with the Void. I hope you can understand.”

**Your savior is…also Gaster? you ask.**

“Yes, we are the same monster…and yet we are not. Wingding Gaster is your friend, enemy, and stranger. W.D. Gaster is nonexistent, and yet we are also everywhere. In this place, contradicting possibilities exist all at once and yet not at all.” Your savior offers you a wry smile. “It’s a very odd concept to newcomers in the Void, I am aware. For now, to make things less confusing, _I_ am a friend.”

**The Void? But you were in the Save Screen. How did you end up here?**

Your savior hums consideringly at your question and adjusts his grip on you so he is carrying you comfortably. “I do not know the answer to your question. I am afraid that my unhinged alternate had monopolized most access to your Save Screen, so I do not know what has transpired there.”

**You ask your savior if he knows where your friend Geno is. Did he fall into the Void too?**

“I’m afraid that I have not seen your friend. You are the only newcomer I have encountered so far.”

You try not to wilt. You fail.

“…Perhaps I can find someone who might be able to help you.”

You blink up at your savior.

**You ask him what he means.**

“While your Save Screen wasn’t accessible, everything else is. Your adventures have garnered much attention. You have made contact with more than one universe, have you not? Then there must be a Gaster who would be willing to lend a hand.” His gaze flickers to the spot where his unhinged alternate had disappeared to. “Yes, I think it would be best to not to linger here.”

Your savior begins to wander away with an obvious destination in mind despite everything being an endless sea of darkness. Unlike the Save Screen, there is no light or any noticeable landmarks. There are no walls or a floor. If you slipped out of this Gaster’s arms, you’re certain that you would fall forever. And yet, Gaster manages to move around the space as if wading through shallow water.

To your surprise, the further Gaster walks, the less dark your surroundings become. The darkness under the lost scientist’s feet become more and more solid. Walls and doors begin to take shape.

“An illusion,” your savior explains when he notices your visible confusion, “made from stray code and our memories. It helps us Gasters cope with being scattered across time and space”

You jump when one of the doors abruptly open, revealing a Gaster. His blue and orange eyelights shift into stars at the sight of you.

“Human! Oh, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you!”

**Hello…Gaster? you tentatively offer even though you know you are correct.**

**(It’s confusing business, after all. They all have the same name.)**

“Yes, yes! Captain Wingding Gaster at your service! Thank you for everything that you’ve done for my sons!” The starry-eyed Gaster thanks you profusely. He enthusiastically gestures behind him where yet _another_ Gaster stands. “That surly fellow over there is also Gaster! But a scientist! And edgy! An edgy scientist! He thanks you for taking care of his sons too!”

“Don’t put words into my mouth, asshole.”

“Language! There is a _child_ present!”

“Bet you the kid heard worse.”

Your savior holds up a hand, immediately stopping the incoming squabble.

“Since both of you have shown yourselves, I assume it means that you are willing to guide and help them from here on out?” At their nodding, your savior hands you over with an apologetic look. “I’m afraid that this is where we part, young Frisk. I have other duties to tend to. Do not worry. You are in capable hands. Good luck on your quest.”

Your savior takes his time to offer you a final wave of farewell before heading off to some unknown corner of the Void. You feel a little sad to see him go. You were beginning to get attached to that Gaster.

“We haven’t had any guests since – well, we haven’t had any guests over at all! You are our first! Welcome!” The Gaster holding you said enthusiastically. “We should give you a tour and introduce you to the others! Do you have any questions before we begin?”

**You ask the two Gasters if there are nicknames you can call them.**

“Ah, yes! Nicknames! What a wonderful idea! It will make things much simpler, wouldn’t it? And it’s the craze these days in the multiverse – especially amongst our sons!”

The “edgy scientist” cuts off his companion before he could spitball any suggestions. “Just call me Fell and the fool Swap.”

With the naming out of the way, both Swap and Fell take you around the illusionary hall, introducing you to every Gaster who was willing to open his door and humor them. Some Gasters were polite. Some were indifferent. And then there were some who seemed to recognize you.

“Thank you for saving my little brother’s life,” a Gaster takes the time to thank you solemnly though you don’t know why, “and for sparing the other one – even if he didn’t give you much reason to do so.”

**You ask Swap and Fell what that Gaster meant by “little brothers”.**

“Sans and Papyrus,” they answer simply as if it is a well-known fact. “From Storyshift,” Swap makes sure to add, which doesn’t help much since you have no idea what he means by that.

**You express your confusion. Geno did not mention that Gaster was his older brother.**

Fell snorts. “That’s ‘cause they aren’t. Those two must’ve briefly worked together before the accident _at best_.”

“Sometimes, Gasters are older brothers. Sometimes, they are fathers,” Swap gestures to himself and Fell, “And sometimes, they are complete strangers. It really does depend on the universe and how well a Gaster remembers. I can think of some who have completely forgotten.”

“And some who tried to accept _every_ identity and memory and went mad trying,” Fell finishes grimly.

You notice that Swap and Fell skip over a stretch of doors. Thinking that the current subject had distracted them, you point it out. To your surprise, the normally jovial Swap makes a face. He immediately amends his expression into a strained smile. “Oh, them. We don’t interact with them. Let’s just leave them in their corner of shame, shall we?”

Fell snorts. “Dirty son-daters.”

As if summoned by the simple phrase alone, one of the doors swing open, revealing a fuming Gaster in a lab coat.

“ _For the last time_ , Sans and I are NOT! RELATED!”

Fell flips him off, which starts a loud squabble. Swap, despite his misgivings, puts you down to intervene. To your surprise, the carpeted hallway does not give way under your feet.

**(The power of illusion and code fills you with…well, relief. It’s comforting to know that you can move around on your own. Your guides seem a little busy, so you’ll go ahead on your own for now.)**

You make sure not to wander _too_ far. Just a couple of doors down and within sight just in case Fell and Swap noticed. It won’t be good if the floor suddenly decided to give out without anyone to catch you.

_“….stay determined…”_

You jump at the faint sound of…your own voice?? It’s coming through one of the doors.

Tentatively, you give the door a knock.

The door opens immediately, making you jump. A Gaster steps out, bringing with him the nostalgic smell of saltwater. In his hands is an echo flower.

“Ah, yes, the human child full of Patience. Hello.” The once-Underwater inhabitant takes note of your interest in the flower and smiles. “Thank you for the kind gift. It has comforted all of us during the most trying of times.”

**You ask Gaster how MK is doing.**

“Goner Kid? He is well. He’s been very interested in your travels. We all were. It was such a pity on what happened in your run-in with the Demon.”

**You ask him how he knows that.**

“Didn’t you hear my followers? _We are always listening._ Even if the world erases our presence, we are still forced to watch it move on without us.” The oceanic monster tilts his head. “Don’t you find it odd that there is something missing whenever you speak, child? Come now. I’m sure that you have noticed. There is something missing when you speak, isn’t there?”

**…!!!**

He smiles when you get it. “Clever child. You are correct. We speak in hands, true, but we also favor the Aster font. Gets the point across far more clearly than Wingdings to some of our peers. It’s such a beautiful flower too. The world we left behind must have a strange sense of humor, leaving _asterisks_ in front of every spoken word.”

You gape at the scientist.

“Of course, that is no longer necessary now that you are here. The rules of the game do not apply in this space where secrets and certain strands of code are hidden away out of sight.”

**Since this Gaster seems to know so much, you wonder if he has an answer to your question.**

“I will try my best to help. Speak, child, what do you need to know?”

**You ask him if he has seen Geno or has any way finding your friend.**

“Your pal Geno ain’t here.” Fell walks up to the two of you, interrupting your conversation. Swap follows behind him with a nervous expression. “And I hate being the bearer of shitty news, kid, but you’ll probably never see him again since you’re stuck here with us.”

“What Fell _means_ is that it’s very, _very_ difficult to leave the Void,” Swap tries.

Fell snorts ruefully. “Stop babying the kid and just tell ‘em the truth straight out. It’s impossible. All Gasters tried. Some even drove themselves insane trying to leave.”

_“Fell.”_

You feel a sense of hopelessness creep up at their words. Impossible? Seeing Geno again is…impossible?

**(This can’t be the end. You can’t be stuck here forever.)**

“Actually,” the Gaster at the doorway speaks up, “I do have a solution if you are willing to hear me out.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **How inconvenient. You cannot proceed if you cannot leave. You must leave the Void.**
> 
> **You must.**


	15. A Perfect Creation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you do whatever you can to leave the Void, consequences and losses be darned. 
> 
> After you get out, you meet someone who might be able to help you. Or are they a foe...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Leave the Void.**

Needless to say, Fell and Swap are _not_ impressed by Sea Gaster’s suggestion.

“No way.”

“Absolutely not!”

**You ask Sea Gaster if he’s sure that this idea will work.**

Sea Gaster appears completely unamused by the complete lack of faith from his audience. “Yes,” he deadpans, “or I would not have brought it up in the first place. I am not one to carelessly raise hopes only to crush them.”

“But if it does really work as you say, why are Gasters driving themselves to the point of insanity instead of simply leaving? It’s impossible for anyone to leave the Void once they fall in…right?” Swap looks between his counterparts unsurely as he holds you protectively.

“Impossible yet possible. Remember the law of contradictions, Captain.”

“Don’t be stupid!” Fell snarls. He’s angry, but he also looks scared. “You know what happens to Gasters who try to climb out of the Void with their own power. Do you want to risk putting this human into a _worse_ situation just because of you have some crack-skulled theory?”

“This child is an anomaly. They will not face the same boundaries and risks as we do,” Sea Gaster explains. “I understand your concern, but they simply do not belong here. Remaining here would do more harm to them than trying to leave. They need to leave.”

He turns to you.

“Of course, all of this is _your_ choice in the end.”

**(…This is the only way to get out. You have to try.)**

**You tell Sea Gaster that you are Determined to get out and find Geno. You tell him that you are willing to do whatever it takes to reunite with him.**

“Whatever it takes, you say.”

Sea Gaster appears satisfied with your proclamation. It’s a sharp contrast to Swap and Fell’s respective distress and frustration at your decision. And yet, despite their fears, they do not speak out against your choice.

“I do hope that you mean it, human child. This path that you are going to take will require much sacrifice.”

* * *

This is the plan: Sea Gaster (along with a very reluctant Swap and Fell) would take you to what he calls “the edge of their Void” where an odd Gaster without a body or any connection to the worlds outside of the Void exists. There, he claims, lies an exit. You will move forward on your own from there.

“We cannot cross over from this point. Those who tried never returned,” Swap explains patiently when you ask the Gasters why they cannot come with you. “Are you _sure_ you want to do this? You can always turn back. You can always decide to stay with us.”

“You’re going to have to leave it all behind, you know. Your body, your items, your _name_ , they can’t follow you where you’re going.”

Fell looks at you challengingly as he continues.

“Just that tiny, fragile soul on you. Nothing else. Are you willing to pay the price?”

For a single, weak moment, you almost answer “no”. Not because of the prospect of losing the colors you had painstakingly earned from every run or the things you had collected, but because of the concept of leaving behind your name.

Frisk.

Back when you had nothing else, your name was the only thing that you could call yours. Are you willing to leave even that behind just for a mere sliver of a chance to see Geno again?

**(Yes.)**

**You tell Fell that you are.**

Seeing your Determination, Fell relents with a sharp nod. “Fine. I’ll respect that.”

No one speaks again until you reach the edge of the Void. Almost comically, the three Gasters react to the Void’s borders as if they slammed into a wall. They grumble and right themselves as you giggle helplessly into your hands. “I’m glad that at least one of us is entertained,” Sea Gaster comments dryly as he attempts to maintain dignity, “we are here.”

The air around you feels different here. Even though everything looks the same, you have a sense that you are standing at the edge of something endless and terrible. Even though you are already stuck in the Void, you feel as if stepping through would land you into a deeper pit. What exactly is at the other side?!

**(The exit. Freedom. Geno.)**

You blink in surprise when you see something falling. It’s grey and humanoid. _No,_ you correct yourself once you take a closer look, _it **is** human._ What is a human being doing in the Void?

“Vessels.” You turn to Sea Gaster, who keeps his gaze on the falling body. “They were created to be thrown away. No matter how ‘perfect’ they are created to be, these things are discarded to make a point. None of them carry a soul.” He glances back at you with a faint smile. “You will be using one as a new body.”

The body has already fallen out of sight. Another body follows after not too long after. And another. And another. Swap makes a disapproving clicking noise at the sight. “How wasteful.”

“And useful,” Fell says, “for the kid at least.”

“Yes, and it is time for the child to go.” Sea Gaster turns to you, gaze intense. “Remember this: you need to move forward no matter what. Turning back will only spell your end. Don’t stop moving even after attaining a Vessel. Until you reach past the doors, your life is at risk. Understand?”

**You tell him you understand. You promise to follow his words. You look to Swap, Fell, and Sea. You thank them for their help.**

“Farewell, Frisk.”

And then, you are pushed toward the boundary line. There is resistance at first. But then, you feel your soul seize and pull. It struggles violently at first. But then, it relents and pops right out of your body and through the boundary line, bringing your consciousness along with it.

You don’t have time to process your shock as your soul immediately drives itself forward. It’s filled with too much Determination to stop here now. The darkness on the other side immediately tries to pull your soul downwards. You fight against it.

It’s so cold. It’s so, so cold. You feel everything slowly growing more and more numb.

**(But your soul persists.)**

It feels like forever until your small, shaky soul manages to reach a Vessel. It sinks into the Vessel’s chest.

You jerk into your new body, gasping. You resist the urge to look down at yourself and force yourself forwards, remembering Sea’s words. To your relief, you see a pair of doors just ahead of you.

With a clumsy kick, you propel your new body towards the exit. Almost there. You’re almost there. You keep your eyes on the exit as it draws closer in an alarming speed.

You slam into the doors and –

* * *

You stumble out into the light and onto your knees. You stare blankly at the grass under your colorless hands. You slowly raise your head and stared at the clear sky above you. It’s so…blue.

A light gust of wind passes by, ruffling your hair. The air it carries is so fresh, so crisp.

As impossible as it is, you have reached the Surface.

* * *

The double red doors you had stumbled out of are now firmly shut and locked. It stands strong under a dell despite the rust and vines covering it. It’s as if you hadn’t opened it just moments before.

After a few more tugs, you give up. There is no point in turning back. Wasn’t that what Sea told you to never do?

**(You’ve made it out of the Void despite all odds. You’ve made it up to the Surface. Now, all you have to do is to remember your mission and move on from there.)**

That’s right. You need to find Geno.

You follow the path away from the forest. To your surprise, you see something in the distance that you instinctively recognize: Mt. Ebott.

As you draw closer to the mountain, the edges of a town come into view. You walk further down the path as it slowly turns into a road. You see houses set up in neat, little rows. You nearly stumble back when a monster comes out of one of the houses.

A monster. On the Surface.

The monster looks up from whatever they were doing and catches sight of you. To your confusion, they look at you with recognition. “Oh! Kris! Hasn’t school started already? You should hurry up!”

You open your mouth to respond. Perhaps to ask for clarification or to reveal the misunderstanding. But no sound escapes from your new mouth. In the end, you can only nod and move on before you draw too much attention or suspicion.

The further you walk into the town; the more questions rise up. It’s obvious that the residents are monster dominant. So far, you haven’t seen another human aside from yourself. You hear no mention of an ambassador named Frisk – and _oh_ , how the thought of that name makes you feel so hollow – and nothing about the re-emergence of monsters after a war.

And then, you see a familiar face in a police uniform.

“Oh, hey, you’re Asgore’s kid, aren’t ya?” Undyne acknowledges you. She regards you as a familiar acquaintance and it strikes you cold. Even stranger, she has _both_ her eyes with no eyepatch to be seen. “Kris, right?”

After scolding you for “playing hooky”, Undyne sends you off.

You’re at a loss. You realize now that you are not in a universe that follows the traditional outline of all the previous worlds you have visited. There is no monsterkind to save. Mt. Ebott is likely empty. This isn’t Geno’s world.

Geno can’t be here.

**(Another dead end. You need to find a way out of this universe so you can continue your search.)**

Completely lost in your thoughts, you nearly crash into a small figure. You backpedal just in time to avoid any major damage. You try to apologize the best you can without a voice but stop mid-attempt when you see who’s in front of you.

“Hello,” the Void-eyed child greets you pleasantly, “my name is Frisk. You look lost. Do you need any help?”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **So Core has come during your time of need. I did not expect them to turn up in Deltarune of all places. How very...**
> 
> **...very...**
> 
> **Interesting.**


	16. The Omega Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You receive the invitation code to private server moderated by a kid who might secretly be God. It's a pretty big deal.
> 
> Or: Core!Frisk opens your eyes to the wide expanse of the Multiverse and tries their best to help you in your quest to find Geno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Let Core help you.**

“…”

“…”

**(A wind blows fallen leaves down the road. This doesn’t break the awkward staring contest that you and this Void-eyed “Frisk” are having. Currently, you are losing. You blink. Darn.)**

“…I surprised you.”

The child breaks the silence with this statement. You’re surprised by how young they sound despite how ancient and endless they feel. You wonder which universe _this_ Frisk comes from and how they came to be this way. But you are without a voice, so all you can do is shrug.

“Ah, that’s right,” the Void child says knowingly, “your Vessel cannot speak. I wonder…what gift did the Player give it instead? Bravery? Mind?”

You don’t understand what the child is talking about.

“We’ll find out about that some other time,” the child concludes, “after I help you out of this universe. You do not belong here.”

_Why are you helping me?_ you want to ask. _And how do you know so much?_

The Void child turns away from you and begins to walk down the street. After a brief moment of hesitation, you follow after them at a brisk pace. You stumble a couple times as you hurry, still unused to your longer limbs and the overall _strangeness_ of your new body.

You follow until you both reach the doors to a school. To your confusion, the Frisk turns to you and offers their hand. You take it without thought. “Usually, I would give you the code and have you try it out yourself, but I’d rather we leave this universe sooner rather than later. No need to accidentally create a new timeline in a universe without timelines.”

Before you can parse their words, the child throws one of the doors open. You flinch when you see that the space on the other side is a familiar _white_. The child seems to not notice your distress as they pull you through. Despite their smaller size, the Frisk’s grip on you is strong.

When you step into the other side, your breath catches at the sight in front of you.

Instead of the wide, blank vastness you feared to see, you see houses and streets and trees. Aside from the blank patch in front of the door and the lack of a sky (or even a horizon in that matter), the area is colorful. Familiar faces pass by you as Frisk tugs you deeper into this new area. A Sans over there. A Papyrus over here. Another Frisk holding a Chara’s hand. Sometimes you recognize their clothing from your previous runs back when you were still Frisk. Sometimes, you wouldn’t recognize their appearance at all.

It’s…slightly overwhelming to be honest.

What is this place?

As if reading your mind, the Void-eyed child squeezes your hand to gain your attention before smiling proudly.

“Welcome to the Omega Timeline. You are safe here.”

* * *

According to Core, this place – the Omega Timeline – is a dimension that connects all timelines and AUs. Monsters and humans from many different universes are able to come together in a single place with Core’s invitation. Sometimes, they come to take a break from all the Resets and loneliness. Sometimes, they decide to stay and abandon their own universes.

Core tells you that the worlds that they come from have names.

Underfell, Underswap, Swapfell, Storyshift, Oceantale, Outertale, and so much more. _So much more_. More variations. More switches. More scenarios. More. And all together, all these things make up the Multiverse.

And at the core of it all… is Undertale.

Core, the Frisk who found you, is the administrator of the Omega Timeline. In their universe, they were born into a war-torn world and was orphaned. They climbed the mountain and fell into an Underground not unlike Geno’s. Despite choosing to be pacifistic, Core had been enthralled by their adventure and Reset many times to re-experience everything again.

“Without realizing it, I did something very cruel,” Core confesses to you when they reach this part of their own history, “and so, I was thrown into the Core and was scattered across time and space.”

Core can see everything and be everywhere all at once. They are omnipresent. And yet, instead of abusing this power, Core had long decided to use it for good. They have saved and helped many monsters. And now, they are helping you.

Because of your inability to talk, it made communicating difficult. Signing, though useful, is not something you know how to do as you were never in the position or situation to need it until now. Thankfully, a kind Toriel gave you just the tool that you needed: a whiteboard.

Through it, you tell Core your story. Where you came from, how you ended up where you were, and about Geno.

“So you are a Frisk looking for their Sans…or Geno, as he prefers,” Core reiterates thoughtfully, “you came from an Aftertale timeline, then. That narrows the search down quite a bit. Unfortunately, Save Screens are very tricky to enter. Even for me.” Their expression turns apologetic. “It’s one thing to enter a _specific_ Save Screen, but it’s another to look through the Save Screens of _every_ Aftertale. I’m sorry, Frisk.”

You flinch at the name. Your soul tugs slightly in your chest and some instinctual part of yourself _knows_ that accepting this name again would have terrible consequences. You press a hand over your chest and shake your head.

Core seems to realize what they have done. “I’m sorry. I forgot that you left that name behind,” they apologize. “Do you rather go by your Vessel’s name?”

_It has a name?_ You write.

“Yeah.”

_How do you know?_

“A simple Check usually does the trick,” Core reveals to you, “and the name that I see is blank.”

There is a beat of silence before you finally scribble out a response. _Are you teasing me? That’s not very funny._

“No, you misunderstand. I meant Blank as in B-l-a-n-k. Blank. That is the name this Vessel is given. It’s not the best name for a Player to name their creation. I understand if you don’t want to go by it.”

After a moment of consideration, you shake your head.

“Are you sure? You can always choose another name.”

_I don’t think that I have a choice._

“Okay. Nice to meet you, Blank. I hope that I can find a way to bring you back home.”

* * *

You stay in the Omega Timeline for a while as Core tries to find a clue to which specific Aftertale you came from. It doesn’t help that it was never truly your universe. Another roadblock that Core reveals to you is _leaving_ the Omega Timeline.

“It’s not that you can’t _leave_ , per se, it’s just that this place isn’t a bridge between AUs. You can return to the AU you entered from, but you can’t travel to a different one from here. Not unless you have the ability to travel through the multiverse in the first place,” Core explains. “The best person who can help you with this is Ink.”

**(Core is right. Out of everyone, Ink can help you.)**

You’ve heard of Ink. During your stay in this dimension, you’ve learned many things about the multiverse from its inhabitants. One of the stories that stands out is of a Protector who wields a giant paintbrush as his weapon; Ink, Guardian of the AUs. Apparently, he’s a Sans without an AU of his own, but that doesn’t stop him from ensuring that the Multiverse is safe and sound from anyone who wishes harm onto it.

And there are entities who wish harm onto it.

Some of the inhabitants of the Omega Timeline whisper about the monster who drove them from their original homes. _The Destroyer,_ they call him, and they immediately change the subject. More monsters in this dimension than not are here permanently because their AUs were destroyed. It’s understandable that they don’t want to talk about it.

**(In the end, the Destroyer is not important. Ink is. _He_ can help you find Geno.)**

Right, back to Ink.

Despite Core mentioning Ink as your source of hope in the matter, he is – in fact – a very elusive guardian to catch. To your dismay, he seldom visits the Omega Timeline. You can tell that Core is trying their best to summon him here so he could help you, but –

“He has the memory of a goldfish,” Core states bluntly, which is a far cry from the respectful and reverent tones that some of the monsters take on when talking about the Protector. “It’s going to take some time before he remembers long enough to come by. I’m sorry, Blank.”

You want to be frustrated, but you can’t muster up the feeling. So, you let it be. Core is trying their best and there is nothing that you can do to change that. You try to fill your time in the Omega Timeline getting to know its residents.

Many of the Toriels and Asgores take turns in housing you. Since you are still in stripes, they view you as a child, no matter how much older you appear compared to the Frisks and Charas.

You’re helping one of the Asgores gardening when Core returns. You can tell from their expression that they’re not here to confirm that Ink has finally remembered long enough to come.

“Ink hasn’t dropped by,” Core confirms your suspicions, “but I found someone else who may be able to help you. Blank, meet TimeKid Sans.”

They step aside, revealing a…kid Sans??? Yes, this Sans is a monster still in stripes. And yet, despite the lighter shades of his winter jacket and the goggles that he sports over his head, he wears a familiar grin.

“Heya, Blank. You can call me TK.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disappointing. I was certain that Core would eventually bring Ink to you. That would have made things so much easier. But now, we are stuck with a mere child whose abilities pales in comparison. He will slow everything down!**
> 
> **...**
> 
> **No matter. At least we are moving forward. Even I have a limit in waiting for someone who may never come.**


	17. Tick Tock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your fate is in the hands of a smol Time Lord with goggles. It goes as well as anyone would expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Humor the child for now until you find a better alternative. Remember, the mission is all that matters.**

“Ta-da~ welcome to the Timeverse!”

TK whisks you away from the Omega Timeline without much fanfare. There wasn’t even a chance to say goodbye to the monsters you’ve stayed with and known during your time there. You don’t have time to miss them either before you’re brought into a completely new dimension.

**(A weight settles on your shoulders as you look around. Clocks in all different shapes, sizes, and colors are strung up everywhere you turn. Instead of numbers and hands, symbols sit at the faces of these clocks. There’s something powerful being held in here and you feel almost unworthy standing at the middle of it all.)**

“It’s a lot, right? I was the same when Core brought me here the first time and made me the guardian of this place.” When he sees you glance at his way, he puts his hands behind his neck. “Every timeline is held right here,” TK explains, “and seeing that I’m pretty familiar with things that go timey-wimey, Core decided that I’m the best Sans to protect it.”

You point over to the clocks and tilt your head.

“Hm? Oh! You want to know what these are?”

You nod.

“I call ‘em _clockets_. Short for clock lockets since that’s what they technically are. Clever, huh? Every single one of them holds a timeline of a specific AU that’s involved in a Reset cycle or something similar. I have to make sure that they’re working right.”

You point to yourself.

“How does this all help you?” TK hazards a guess. You nod. “Well, you come from Aftertale, right? That’s one of the universes that’s completely _ridden_ with timelines, which falls under my domain.”

The goggled child points at a clocket above him to make his point.

“It just means that I have to find the right one to take you home.”

* * *

So, it turns out that TK needs _your_ help more than you need _his_.

You watch blankly as the monster child fumbles around with boxes filled with clockets. Above his head, more clockets are stringed up and hanged, making the otherwise completely blank space festive and full.

“Heh. _So_ ,” TK draws out awkwardly, “I haven’t really kept this place organized so finding your timeline _might_ take a while.” He offers you an all-too-innocent smile. “You might have to give me a hand in doing this since I have a lot on my plate.”

_Because of your procrastination and poor work ethic, I need to help you do your job in order to go back home,_ you conclude with the help of your whiteboard.

TK at least as the decency to look sheepish about this. For about five minutes.

You realize that you may have been scammed by a Sans younger and shorter than you.

* * *

And so, that’s how you find yourself sorting through boxes and boxes of clockets. Ironically, you have nothing around you to tell you how much time passes in this dimension. Aside from TK’s comings and goings, of course. He has a little brother and a universe of his own to return to after a good day’s work, after all.

You find that you don’t need sleep or food in this dimension. You attribute it to the timelessness of the place. You raze through many boxes, doing your best to organize them by appearance so TK can check them over later when he returns.

The work that you’re doing might have been tedious if it weren’t for the glimpses of the different AUs that you receive whenever you pick up a clocket. Snippets of different worlds and scenarios never fail to fascinate you. Sometimes, they would be familiar. Sometimes, they would be different. Sometimes, even ridiculous.

_What is the point of an AU where everyone has Mettaton’s legs?_ You ask TK. After he reads your question on the whiteboard, he tries to choke back a snicker and fails completely.

“C’mon, you have to admit that it’s pretty _humerus_. I, for one, think it’s pretty _leg_ endary for a crack AU.”

As a frequent AU-jumper, TK is pretty knowledgeable about AUs and the many, _many_ nicknames of his fellow Sanses and Papyri. Even though the sheer _number_ of names that he brings up during his chattering conversation makes your head spin, you do your best to retain what you learn. Though you’re certain that you won’t be journeying through AUs after reuniting with Geno, it’s good to know what’s what and who’s who when you’re here.

Besides, it’s so _fascinating_. The Multiverse is so vast that the AUs have their own AUs, which is terrifying enough without the countless variations of timelines attached to them.

You and TK fall into a sort of pattern that you would have been comfortable to be in until you found a way back home, which does not happen.

Yes, trouble seems to always come in the calmest of moments.

“Jiminy Tickers! Echotale is in trouble!” TK cries out when he catches sight of one of the clockets beginning to crack. “Ah geez, and it’s such a complicated timeline too! I can’t do this all alone!”

Just as the complaint leaves his mouth, TK’s eyelights land on you. You know _exactly_ what he’s thinking the moment the idea arises in that small skull of his. No. No way. You have a home to find and it’s taking forever thanks to him. TK can handle this one on his own. You begin to shake your head no, but he’s already dragging you to a portal.

“Think of it as repayment for letting you bum around here!” He shouts as he pulls you through.

* * *

A long while later, you come back completely disheveled and clothes slightly singed. TK follows after you with a wide grin, just as equally singed.

“Boy, that was easier than it would’ve been alone! You did great, Blank!”

Easy? You nearly got toasted alive trying to find the discrepancy in the timeline that TK needed to fix. Because of some accident with the CORE that created the Echotale AU, the entire terrain shifted around unexpectedly, making your impromptu mission much more difficult than it should have been. Honestly, if it weren’t for that universe’s Frisk and G – a monster created from the accidental fusion of Gaster and Sans, you and TK wouldn’t have come back at all.

As TK celebrates in the background, you can’t help but think about how you had been so close to never seeing Geno again. Just because of a problem that you had no connection or responsibility to.

You want to be angry. You really do. But it’s all said and done, and you need to go back to looking for your own timeline.

* * *

Looking for your timeline is like looking for a needle in a haystack in the dark. And TK’s insistence in dragging you with him to every mission doesn’t make things easier.

On the contrary, it makes things more _difficult_ for you.

Though it’s not always the case, your life would be put to risk more times than you are comfortable. This isn’t the Save Screen where death is near impossible unless one wills it enough. You are outside your role and element.

**(If this continues, you might die before you see Geno again.)**

And that is a terrible thought.

TK presents a solution to your worries.

“I call ‘em clocklocks. Doc – er, my Gaster created these as an emergency exit option. You hafta clip ‘em onto yourself before turning the hourglass over here to make them work. It’ll send you to the last timeline or dimension that you made contact with – Timeverse in your case. Pretty nifty, huh?”

You look at the small hourglass keychains cupped in TK’s hands. They are impressive and useful, but that wasn’t the solution you wanted when you brought up your concerns to him.

You just want TK to stop bothering you with his missions and adventures so you can continue your search in peace. It would be even better if he started to chip in on the organization process.

“Make sure you don’t accidentally bring any clockets with you,” TK warns you as he deposits the clocklocks onto your hands. There are ten in total. “It’ll suck you or whatever comes into contact with these into _that_ timeline and we’ll have _two_ problems in our hands instead of one.”

_Alone,_ you sign with your free hand before pointing at yourself.

“Aw shucks, Blank. You worried about me? Don’t worry. I got some more on me so you’re not the only one with an emergency exit.”

You shake your head and try to write your thoughts onto the whiteboard, but TK is already pulling you towards a portal for the next AU in need.

You sigh and give up.

* * *

You and TK are in an Underfell AU. Since it’s dangerous, you both do your best to hide amongst the water sausages as you creep around Waterfall. Fortunately, the discrepancy was easily found and dealt with.

_Un_ fortunately, someone comes before you both could open a portal.

As you and TK duck down amongst the echo flowers, a Sans and a Frisk comes into view. The Sans is carrying his Frisk on his back, murmuring about something to them in soft, rumbling tones. Your eyes widen when you see the golden flowers sprouting from Frisk’s skin. The overgrowth has gotten bad enough that they’re completely blinded.

They may be wearing stripes, but you can tell that this Frisk is no child. They’re even older than your _Vessel_ , which is barely at the cusp of adulthood. Where there are no flowers, there are bruises and other injuries. Their clothes are sopping wet, shielded only by Sans’ coat. They are at a miserable state.

And yet, you can hear Frisk softly laughing. Their happiness turns Sans’ sharp grin into something softer.

The moment is broken when Flowey pops up from his perch on Frisk’s shoulder and urges them to “hurry up before someone finds us!”

For some reason, that scene…that AU…it stays with you long after you return to Timeverse. The moment shared between that universe’s Frisk and Sans makes you hope for their continued happiness once they reached the Surface.

Eventually, you ask TK about it.

“Flowerfell? Yeah, that Sans really cares about his Frisk, huh? Even though it’s a variation of Underfell, the two really tries hard to keep things pacifistic despite every monster gunning for their heads. Really makes you root for them.” TK’s grin wavers. “It’s really too bad.”

At the tilt of your head, he explains his answer.

“You saw those golden flowers, right? Well, every time Frisk dies and reloads, a flower grows on their body. It’s not a good thing. There’s only so many flowers a human body can take, y’know? Eventually, Frisk gave away their own soul to set the monsters free.”

Oh.

That’s…

“I know,” TK says emphatically, “it’s pretty sad. I know a lot of us tried to help out and make a timeline with a happier ending but…well, that AU seems to have tragedy written into its very _code_. Some endings can’t be avoided, I guess.”

* * *

The experience of seeing a clocket completely shatter is a terrible one. Unlike the other times when they cracked, warning you and TK of the damage, this one shatters on its own. After the first one shatters, more follow.

“No. _No._ Oh god, this can’t be happening _again._ ”

You know the cause: The Destroyer.

You watch as TK tries to stop the shattering in vain. You can see how every loss of a clocket affects him. Even though his actions are useless, TK doesn’t stop until he trips over his undone shoelaces and falls onto the floor. He promptly bursts into tears.

“I’m a _failure_ of a Time Guardian,” TK sobs, “so many timelines are gone and it’s all my _fault_. Core made a mistake choosing me. I can’t – I _can’t –_ ”

You hug him.

It’s the only comforting gesture you know how to do. You wrap your arms around the little skeleton and hold him tight. He relaxes into your grip and hugs you back, burying his face into your shoulder. It’s a bit strange being the bigger person in the hugging equation, but you think you did a pretty good job.

* * *

“I’m sorry,” TK apologizes to you later once the clocket shards are swept away, “I know you’re having a hard time tryin’ to get back home and I pushed most of my work onto you anyways. Even if I was stressed out ‘cause of all the problems, I shouldn’t have done it. That was really crummy of me, Blank. Forgive me?”

_Please don’t do it again._ You write. _I forgive you._ You add.

TK nods fervently. “I won’t. I’ll even chip in on the search. Heh. It’s about time I stopped being a lazybones and organized my own stuff.”

_And I won’t mind joining you on fixing timelines._ You compromise.

* * *

And so, your time with TK relaxes into a familiar pattern between sorting through clockets and checking timelines. At the moment, you and TK are celebrating another successful rescue of an AU – a version of Underswap this time – by eating some take out from Grillby’s.

“You make a great partner, Blank,” TK tells to you with a bashfulness that suits him surprisingly well despite being a Sans.

_Thank you,_ you sign. You point to him before signing _good partner_.

“I know that it’s been hard and I wasn’t making things for you any easier…but I’m glad that you’re here to help.” Then, he hesitantly adds, “And I’m glad that you’re my friend.”

There is an unspoken question in his words, and it takes you a moment to realize what he wants to hear from you.

_TK,_ you sign, _friend._

TK beams at you brightly at your confirmation before starting a string of chatter about a new AU that you and he can check out.

**(This is taking too much time. You should have stayed behind and waited for Ink instead –)**

You silence your doubts, taking faith in yourself and your friend instead. Yes, it’s taking some time, but it’s far better than _waiting_ for something that may very well never come. You’re better off without Ink anyways if claims of his short attention span are to be trusted. It’s very likely that you’ll never meet the artist since you’ll be finding Geno before you even cross paths with Ink.

Once this is all over, you’ll be able to tell Geno about all your adventures. You’ll tell him how wonderful and vast the multiverse is. You will.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **So, you would continue to waste precious time despite everything I've done on my end of the deal? You would go back on your word all because of your precious Geno? Is that how you're going to play this?**
> 
> **Fine.**
> 
> **I'll just remove the source of the problem then.**


	18. Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please, before you continue, I would like to apologize for my previous behavior. It was completely unprofessional and needlessly cruel. In my frustration and distress, I have lashed out on the only person who is able to listen to me. You are trying your best with what you have - I know - and I have completely disregarded that.**
> 
> **I believe it's time for me to pull my own weight and lend a hand. This mission is also mine, after all.**
> 
> **You will find your answers about Geno here. I will make sure of it. I hope you are satisfied with what you find. Best of luck.**

“ –annoying that they don’t trust me with anythin’! Like, they’re completely _fine_ with leaving the physical manifestation of all timelines into my hands but when it comes to actual missions? It’s all, _Oh no, TK, you’re too young! Just leave it to the Star Sanses to take care of everything!_ ”

You nod along with TK’s frustrated ranting as you shift through your own pile of clockets. You stop only to sign or write out any questions.

_Star. Sans?_ You sign, curiously.

“Who are the Star Sanses?” TK parrots in disbelief before he remembers. “Oh right, since you’ve been stuck here, you’ve never met or heard of ‘em. Well, you remember Ink, right?”

You nod.

“Well, he’s teamed up with Dream and Blue – oh right, you don’t know who Dream is. Um, do you at least remember Blue?”

You hastily take out your whiteboard and scribble out your guess. _Underswap Sans?_

“Yeah! Blue’s a Swap. There might be a lot of variations of him out there, but _he’s_ the one Ink and Dream chose to help them protect the Multiverse. Heh, he might not be an outcode, but he’s a pretty cool guy.

“ _Dream_ , though…he’s the Guardian of Positivity. He makes sure that the Multiverse remains balanced by protecting all our hopes and dreams. With Blue and Ink, all three of them makes up the Star Sanses.”

**(You want to learn more. This is the first time you’re hearing about this. How much more important information have you missed out on?)**

But before you can think to ask, you feel the clocket you are pulling out snag against something. Tilting your head, you feel around the box to get it free. In the end, you pull out the clocket…and the chain that it’s attached to.

This is new.

“Oh! You found an interesting one!”

TK grins and takes the chain from you. He gives it another tug, revealing a line of many other clockets attached. “Heh, I was wondering when we were going to bump into the more complex ones.”

He explains to you how some timelines could diverge depending on choices or anomalies.

“It’s like my own AU,” TK chirps excitedly. “You see, before all the time shenanigans, my AU used to be an Undertale still running through its Neutral run. My Frisk got tricked by Flowey into turning back time and, well…” He gestures to himself. “Frisk landed themselves at a time before the War. And that’s why I’m small!”

TK points at the chain in his hand.

“Quantumtale, in that case, would have _two_ clockets on a chain. One for the Pacifist timeline that could have been and _might_ be if Frisk ever gets to fixing things, and one for our whacky AU. New clockets gets added onto the chain when there’s a significant divergence or something else.”

_Which AU is this one?_

“Hmmm…this one should be Glitchtale. There’s _a lot_ happening in that AU right now. I think there might even be another clocket that might be added into this chain because of how complex this AU became ever since its creation.”

One clocket on the chain catches your eye. It’s pitch black, a color you’ve never seen on a clocket. It’s also without any decoration or symbol. You point at it.

“That clockets are reserved for the Void. Sometimes, the ‘story’ would wander into that territory. It’s either that or the Save Screen.”

_The Save Screen? I came from a Save Screen._ You write out.

“No, you came from a finished Aftertale timeline,” TK corrects you before trailing off, “…right?”

* * *

After one long conversation and the clearing up of a _huge_ misunderstanding, you realize that Core hasn’t told TK anything about your situation at all aside from the name of your AU and your desire to return home.

You realize that you wasted a lot of time looking at the wrong section, but at least you know why it’s taken you so long to find your timeline. At least TK is there to help you now.

* * *

As always, when TK returns to his own AU to take a break and catch up with his brother and friends, you continue your search through the boxes. The chains add in a new challenge of untangling everything before checking the clocket out, but at least the pile to sort through is significantly smaller as black clockets on chains aren’t too common.

**(Your fingers feel sore and your eyes ache. You decide to take a break for the time being. You stand up a little too quickly and stumble at the first step, tripping over one of the boxes as a result. The clockets spill out. Your leg gets tangled with one of them when you try to move back.)**

You do your best to untangle the chain from your leg. You can count ten clockets on the chain – not the most you’ve ever seen, but it’s up there. It also means that the chain long enough to get easily tangled. Thankfully, it isn’t too hard to free your leg but the chain itself is terribly knotted and stuck.

With a soft sigh, you easily give up on your break to focus on the tangled mess. You pause when one of the clockets glows faintly at your touch.

…That hasn’t happened before.

**(None of the other clockets were _yours_ before…)**

Your breaths drew short and quick as you look more closely at the clockets on the tangled chain. You recognize the colors of seven of the ten clockets. Green, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Cyan, Blue, and Red. The other two hangs at the end like an afterthought.

You stare at the black clocket that sits at the beginning of the chain. It’s the core of all timelines on this chain and you _know_ with a certainty that this one is yours.

**(But you need to check. Just in case.)**

Since the chain is so tangled, you unclip the black clocket and hold it close to your chest and –

* * *

“don’t open the door. i’ll come back and get ya when it’s safe.”

Unlike the brief glimpses that the other clockets gave you when you picked them up, you feel as if you’re experiencing one of those dreams back in your Save Screen days. You see Geno’s back facing you. You see the door.

“wait for me, kiddo.”

The door clicks shut. You hear Geno take a deep, shuddering breath before turning to face you. You start at the cold expression he levels onto you.

**“How cruel, Geno.”**

You jump at the familiar voice. You whirl around to face Gaster. In his anger, the once-Royal Scientist’s form seems to drip terribly as his maw opens into a terrifying smile. You take a step back so you can keep an eye on both of them. If something terrible happens right now, you need to see it. TK had assured you that he could send you back _before_ anything bad happened to Geno, but you need to _know_ what happens first so you can prevent it from happening again.

But…

Nothing is happening.

Gaster makes no move to get closer and Geno’s blasters are noticeably absent. They continue to stare each other down for many more seconds before Gaster breaks the silence himself.

**“And here I thought you were going to throw everything away for the chance that the child would bring about a happy ending.”** You hear Geno’s teeth grind behind his scarf at the taunt. Gaster’s gaze flickers over to the closed door. **“I suppose something I said resonated enough to change your mind?”**

Geno continues to stand resolutely in front of the door.

“what do you want, gaster?”

Gaster tuts at Geno’s venom-laced question, shaking his head. He creeps a little closer until he’s right in front of your friend. **“You know that I only seek to _help_ you, Geno. Ever since the beginning, haven’t I been only doing that? After all, _who had been the one to summon over that door behind you?_ ”**

…What?

**“We made an agreement, Geno,”** Gaster reminds him. **“In return for offering you a chance to achieve your greatest wish of taking complete control over all timelines and destroying them, you would willingly join me in the Void if you fail.”** His grin widens. **“And you have failed.”**

You shake your head. Gaster is insane. Everything he’s saying is insane. It doesn’t make any sense. The Geno you know would never even consider doing the things that the unhinged monster was saying. _Destroying_ timelines? That would mean destroying Papyrus and Geno would _never_. You know with certainty that he loves his brother.

**(But Geno isn’t saying anything.)**

Instead of hearing denials and incredulity from Geno’s end, the glitched skeleton remains silent to Gaster’s taunts.

**(A part of you grows cold as Geno’s silence continues. It’s just as good as a voiced confirmation. Gaster is telling the truth.)**

No. He’s lying. Or twisting the truth.

Meanwhile, Gaster’s expression remains smug and victorious. He gestures at Geno to come forward. At the edges of his form, you see other figures rise from the shadows. Gaster’s followers. **“As agreed, you will be joining us.”**

“nah.” For the first time since Geno left you alone in the blankness, you see him grin. He stretches out his hand over to the side in a familiar movement. But, instead of summoning blasters, you see a familiar button appear under his hand. “you see, i have a third option now.”

**_“Where did you get that?”_ **

It’s Geno’s turn to be smug. With his free hand, he holds up a familiar, broken collar. “the kid never checked what got caught on these things when they gave them to me. broken pieces of a reset button are surprisingly easy to put together when you have enough shards. the demon left behind the last piece after fading away.” He shrugs. “lucky me, i guess.”

**“What do you think you are doing?”**

“what do you think?” Geno challenges.

And then, Gaster seems to realize _exactly_ what Geno plans to do. His hackles lowers and his panic abruptly disappears.

**“Ah.”** His gaze flits back to the gray door behind Geno. **_“Ah.”_**

Meanwhile, you remain completely and utterly confused. Nothing is making sense anymore. You feel so lost.

Thankfully, Gaster is the sort to monologue his thoughts and realizations. **“It all becomes clear. Now I understand why you tricked the child into returning to their room.”** You stiffen. **“Why settle for a copy when you can regain the original?”**

Gaster’s voice begins to shake with a cold rage as his eyes train back to the Reset button under Geno’s hand. **“I won’t forget this. That precious child of yours _will_ face the consequences of your actions.”**

“no, you won’t. you won’t remember a thing about this, gaster.” Geno’s scarf slips down and you see that he’s wearing a rueful expression. “besides, as long as the kid remains on the other side, you can’t get to them, much less remember them once i press this. and they won’t be opening the door any time soon. Or ever. i told ‘em not to, so they won’t. they’re good like that.”

Gaster chuckles at Geno’s explanation.

**“And the child thought _I_ was the _monster._ Do you truly think this will work? Surely, you know that what you’re trying to attempt will be useless. Repeating the same thing and expecting a different result…isn’t that the definition of insanity.”**

“heh. sorry, gaster. but i think we have some sort of misunderstanding.” Geno presses the button. “i went off the deep end a **l o n g** time ago.”

**Reset**

The door and Gaster disappears. What replaces the scene is an enraged Geno standing in front of a whimpering form. _Frisk_ , you recognize. The original one. The one Geno had unintentionally killed in his anger. Bone attacks are littered everywhere and there is a blaster readied to fire a painful blow.

But then, Geno’s expression changes. Slowly, he lowers his arm and takes a deep, calming breath. His expression softens into something that looks tired but cautiously forgiving. It looks kind.

It looks like an expression he used on you once upon a time.

“hey kiddo. why don’t we just forget all of this. okay?” Geno holds out a hand. “c’mere, pal.”

* * *

You come back to yourself and drop the clocket in your hands as if it burned you.

No. This isn’t right. This isn’t – Is this even the right clocket?

Maybe…maybe he _did_ try to come back for you after the Reset. You’re still not certain that Gaster’s words are true. Something must have happened to leave the Save Screen so empty and broken. Something must have happened to make you wait for so long. You just need to see what happens in the end.

**(No need to look at every detail. You don’t have the time and you need answers. You will look ahead as far as you can and hope that you find what you are looking for.)**

You pick up the clocket to take another look.

* * *

_You watch blankly as Geno climbs down the mountain with his friends and family with the sun setting beautifully on the background. Sans and Papyrus are with him. Frisk is with him. He’s happy. He’s free. He –_

**(Left you.)**

Even after the vision ends, you stare down at the clocket.

**(You force yourself to look away from the clocket as it burns in your hand. You glance at the last two clockets connected to the chain. More answers to what happened to Geno. You can take a look –)**

The numb feeling encasing your soul grows colder and colder as you think about it. You reject the thought. You don’t want to see any more. You don’t think you can take it. Your head hurts. Your chest feels numb.

And then, TK bursts into the dimension, eyelights lit with panic and urgency. He doesn’t notice your state. He doesn’t notice what you’re holding. “Ticking Timebombs! Blank, a timeline in Dancetale is under attack! We gotta go help!”

You let TK drag you towards the portal. Your grip is still tight on the clocket as both of you go through. It’s doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.

You feel nothing.

* * *

**End of Act III: The Vessel**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Well? Are you satisfied?**


	19. Vulnerability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your day gets worse, worser, yet worser, when you encounter a certain someone terrorizing Dancetale. TK might have already filled you in on his Multiverse heroes, but you think he should've told you about the dangerous ones instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **You look upset. I know it's difficult to handle, but isn't it better knowing the truth instead of believing in someone's lie? The box has already opened. You can't put it back and forget. You can't go back and pretend you don't know what you already know. Don't you think it's better to move forward?**
> 
> **Think about it.**

After stumbling out of the portal, you and TK are met with the sight of a Snowdin in chaos. Monsters are screaming and running from some, unseen threat. You already see some dust staining the snow as you and TK weave through the crowd.

It doesn’t take too long to see just what the monsters are running from. For once, the enemy is not a genocidal human child. Instead, it’s another Sans that you don’t recognize. Black liquid trails down the unfamiliar Sans’ eye sockets as he brandishes a dagger. You catch sight of a glowing, target-like symbol on his chest where his soul should be.

The Sans of this AU is doing his best to hold the intruder off. It’s a full-on brawl that already destroyed most of the buildings including Grillby’s.

You’ve glimpsed too many Dancetale timelines and listened to too many of TK’s stories to not know the AU. It’s one of universes that resembles more closely to Undertale with a fun twist:

During Encounters, monsters would _dance_.

Like how magic attacks vary from monster to monster, Dancetale inhabitants have their own style of dance to use when expressing themselves or Fighting. Dancing is like love and compassion to monsters. It comes naturally to them like breathing. According to TK, the Sans in that timeline – who dons the lazy moniker of “Dance” within the multiverse – used to dance hip-hop before the knowledge of Resets sucked away all of his motivation and passion. He only dances now as a last possible resort against huge threats.

Like now.

“Oooh~! Little songbird knows how to dance! How pretty!” The blade-wielding Sans coos tauntingly as he dodges another leg sweep. Dance just barely manages to veer away from a thrust from the dagger. “Makes me want to **cut you up**.”

“It’s Killer.” You feel TK start to tremble. He’s trying his best to keep calm. “Blank, keep back and help evacuate the civilians. It’s too dangerous for you to get involved. I’ll try to help Dance.”

You’re still numb, but you remember the motions to go through to offer quick and brief comfort. You squeeze TK’s hand before doing as he says. Since evacuation and helping fallen monsters back up requires both of your hands, you slip the clocket into your pocket. Your head hurts less when you’re not seeing it anyways. 

The monsters you help and lead are mystified to see a human in their midst, but not any less grateful for your aid. It’s the only saving grace that prevents that universe’s Undyne from capoeira-ing your butt.

_“Take me to where Sans is.”_ The Captain of the Royal Guard demands after the last Snowdin citizen crosses over to Waterfall territory. You can’t really find a reason to refuse. More backup for Dance and TK means a higher chance to bring down whoever this “Killer” is.

But, as you and Undyne draw closer to the fighting zone, something strange happens. For absolutely no reason at all, the fish monster beside you abruptly stops in her tracks and sinks onto the snow. An uncharacteristically defeated expression settles onto her features and, no matter how much you prod at her, Undyne refuses to get up.

If you could muster up any sympathy for Undyne’s state, you would have stayed longer to make sure that she’s okay. But your soul is too numb to care, and you have other priorities to see to.

You rush ahead.

What you return to is not what you expect.

You enter just as Killer manages to strike a deadly blow onto the downed Dance. The Sans doesn’t put up much of a fight, seeing that he was in a similar state as Undyne during his final moments. You think you might have been horrified, but now all you can think about is how outnumbered TK is at the moment.

Yes, another strange monster has entered the scene.

He’s a Sans…you think. Your confusion is mostly stemmed from all the black goop covering this monster from head to toe. The slight undertone of cyan magic outlining his form and lighting up his single eye gives off an eerie aura. But what makes this Sans _really_ unique are the four tentacles sprouting from his back. You wonder if he’s some…strange variation from a Mermaid AU.

Any pondering gets tossed aside when you catch sight of a struggling TK wrapped in one of those tentacles. The Sans seems completely unimpressed with your partner’s struggling but does nothing else to him. You somehow manage to duck behind a pile of rubble when the goopy monster shifts to speak face Killer.

“Finally done playing with your food, Killer? You know I detest wasting time.”

“The Star Sanses are taking their sweet time to sweep in and save the day. Why not have a little _fun_ and _carnage_ to pass the time?” Killer suggests silkily as he plays around with his dagger. He doesn’t break eye-contact with the other skeleton. “Just think of all that negativity we can spread while those star-eyed idiots take their sweet time getting here. Dinner _and_ a show. For you, of course, Nightmare. _I’m_ just here for the show.”

Nightmare. You guess that he’s the one calling the shots, judging by how Killer is doing his best to sweet-talk him into spreading more terror.

And then, Killer catches sight of TK.

“Why not start with an appetizer? Dancetale can easily Reset and wipe away all our hard work, but this brat?” Killer’s grin takes a meaner edge. “This brat is a junior do-gooder. A real pain in the coccyx too with all those cheating time tricks.” He laughs when he sees TK shudder. You see Nightmare grin too. His tentacle tightens its grip.

He’s scared, you note. He’s really scared.

And he’s choking.

You act quickly. It’s good that your overall emotional numbness keeps you calm and clear-headed during this situation. You have no weapons or any current Skills to use, but you have an arsenal of rubble to use in your favor. You snatch up a rock. You aim.

You throw.

Just as the rock leaves your hand, you throw yourself out into the open and tackle the monster holding TK. The rock, on the other hand, manages to hit Killer’s wrist, making him yelp in surprise and drop his dagger.

While a whiteboard marker isn’t the most dangerous weapon anyone could have at hand, it can still hurt. As you straddle Nightmare, you aim the weapon over the monster’s chest and levels a calm look at the monster under you.

_Let go of him or I stab_ , you hope you’re managing to convey.

But you shouldn’t have hesitated, you realize when a tentacle smacks into your abdomen, knocking the wind out of you as you fall back. The shock from both of your opponents were only momentary. Before you know it, you’re pinned by that same tentacle and there’s a blade at your throat.

“Well, well, well~” You hear Killer croon above you. You glance up and you see the skeleton peering down at you. “Isn’t _this_ a surprise? I didn’t know short stack had a friend! Now I have _two_ kiddies to carve up instead of one!”

“Shut up, Killer.”

Killer’s smug face is replaced by Nightmare. He stares down at you with an unreadable expression.

Then he stabs a tentacle into your chest.

You hear TK scream as Nightmare slowly draws out your tiny, trembling soul. Except…it looks wrong.

Instead of the glowing with the vibrant colors you had so painstakingly gathered, your soul is completely encased with a color darker than black. It’s as if you’ve brought the Void with you. You realize –

Ever since your soul waded through the Void to find a way out, you haven’t really felt too much emotion, have you? Of course, finding ~~out what Geno did~~ the clocket certainly encouraged the numb and cold feeling to completely consume your soul. You wonder if it’s permanent.

Oh, right, your soul being out of your body is a bad thing, isn’t it? TK is still screaming.

“Interesting,” Nightmare finally says, eye still trained on you. He seems amused by your lack of reaction. “Look at you. It’s no wonder I didn’t sense you. What in the world possessed you to do this to yourself?” He wonders aloud. When you don’t answer, he squeezes you warningly. You wonder how much it would take for him to squeeze you to death.

TK isn’t as curious.

“W-Wait! Blank can’t talk! They’re mute!” He says desperately. His voice sounds so hoarse from all the screaming he did. You wonder when he stopped.

“Your name is _Blank_?” Nightmare appears utterly _thrilled_ by this new information. “How perfectly fitting! You have my attention now, hollow child.” His smile widens. “I think I’ll keep you. How about it?”

You shake your head. _Heck no._

Nightmare’s smile doesn’t waver at your response. “Killer.”

Immediately, Killer acts. The blade leaves your throat. At the sound of TK’s whimper, you know where he’s pointing it at. Your stomach sinks at the thought of your friend getting hurt because of you. You remember now that he’s scared, he’s hoarse, and he’s tired. You jerk under the tentacle in your effort to check if TK is okay.

Nightmare hums in interest. “This is new.”

Your void-black soul has a small crack and it is bleeding green.

“Now I _have_ to keep you.” Nightmare turns his gaze onto you. “I am feeling very generous today, Blank. I will forgive your past transgression. Your state prevented you from fully realizing the stakes, after all.”

He relaxes his tentacle enough for you to sit up and see TK. You see that he’s being restrained by Killer now. With a closer look his goggles are broken and he’s at a poor state. You don’t think he has enough HP to take another hard hit, much less a slash of a dagger.

“Come with me and I will Spare your friend as well as this AU.”

“Blank! _No!_ ” TK cries out desperately. Your soul bleeds more green.

_Alive_ , you sign since you no longer have your marker. _No one dead._

“Agreed,” Nightmare says smoothly, “it’s no great loss to me to spare one life and a paltry AU.” He sends a silencing glare at Killer’s way before the other could voice his complaints.

“No. No, you can’t go with ‘em, Blank! You have no idea what kind of monsters they are!”

_Be good,_ you sign, _don’t fight. Stay. Rest. Wait for help._

“You don’t hafta do this, Blank. Help’s gunna come.” But help hasn’t come for a long while and you are _tired_ of waiting. “Please…don’t go. I don’t –” TK hiccups “ – I don’t wanna lose my friend. And, and, what about your timeline? You still need to go home! Right?”

Your soul goes cold at the mention your old timeline. The clocket feels heavy. It burns. Meanwhile, the green ceases its flow from your soul. The colorful, green crack remains, but it looks dim.

_No. Not anymore._

“What –?! Blank –”

_Thank you._ You sign genuinely. _For time. For fun. TK. Friend._

_Sorry._

“Well. It seems that it’s time to go. I hope you’ve said what you needed to say, Blank.” You feel a tentacle wrap around your waist as it pulls you up and beside Nightmare. He returns your soul back to your body. “Give my regards to the Star Sanses, TK.”

And then, all of you sink into the ground.

* * *

When you resurface, you see that you are no longer in Snowdin.

Instead, you seem to have entered what appears to be the interior of a _castle_. You’re not quite amazed, your soul is still too numb for that, but you’re certain that you feel a little admiration for the sight in front of you.

And then, the moment shatters when something flies past you. It’s not until it lands on something – a wall, a banister, you don’t know – you realize that it’s a weapon. _An axe_. You trail your sight to the source of the attack and see a single, red eye staring back at you.

“Boo, you missed,” Killer calls out, making your attacker step out of the shadows.

This Sans looks as if he’s come from hell and back. The side of his skull is broken. By what, you don’t know, but you can see that it’s left him violent and unhinged, judging by the bloodstains on his coat and his expression.

“Horror, that is no way to treat our new guest.” Nightmare chides, though you can tell that he doesn’t really care at all. It looks like being pelted with axes and any other strange weapons may be a common theme during your stay here. “Why don’t you and Dust come down and properly introduce yourselves? Blank will be staying here a while, after all.”

‘Dust’ shortcuts from wherever he was hiding and right in front of you. A familiar, red scarf hangs around his neck. For a moment, you think that he’s ~~Geno~~ someone else. But the moment passes as quick as it came. You stare back at Dust impassively, refusing to let it show how ~~Geno’s~~ Dust’s sudden appearance surprised you.

“Pap says that you won’t last a _day_ here,” he giggles after he finishes accessing you, “and I agree completely.”

Horror takes his time, ambling over to retrieve his axe. He eventually stands next to Dust. His single, red eye does its own version of assessing and, for some reason, you feel like a slab of meat. “Don’t waste any food,” he finally settles on before ignoring you all together.

Apparently, that’s a good enough ‘introduction’ for Nightmare since he turns his attention back to you.

“Welcome home, Blank.”

His tone and expression might appear pleasant, but you can tell by the looks on the three behind him that you’re in for a bad time.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **No no no no no no no no**


	20. Recklessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare gets the bright idea of making Killer your babysitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Stay calm. Stay alive. We'll find a way to get out of this.**

And just like that, you are given a room, a pat on the back, and left to figure out everything all on your own.

You’re confused by the lack of locks and shackles at first. You’re not fooled by Nightmare’s insistence that you are his _guest_. At best, you are a glorified prisoner. At worst, you are a disposable source of entertainment with an expiration date. It’s not until you begin wandering around the castle that you realize _why_ the security is so lax.

The castle itself? A maze that constantly shifts around no matter what turns you take. The only areas you seem to have access to are your room, the hallways, the dining room, and a single balcony with a view of a ruined wasteland. Any attempts to use the code to the Omega Timeline that Core gave you does not work here. You predicted this but you still had to try.

Despite your very limited movements, you find that your time in the castle is…not boring. It’s certainly eventful.

For a place filled with skeletons with questionable morals, Nightmare’s Castle has many rules, spoken and unspoken. You make yourself a list to make it easier on yourself. Rule #1, for instance, is to never waste food. Easy enough. But then, there is Rule #2 involve keeping clear of the corridors during certain hours – a concept that takes you a little bit to get used to. Between the Save Screen where time is frozen and a dimension where all time exists, you’ve never really adhered to a linear timeline. Not following those rules result in potential maiming, butchering, and death. You have a feeling that #2 is made specifically for you as you hear footsteps outside your door during these hours.

Rule #3-15 are easily avoided since they involve entering the others’ rooms – a privilege that you do not have. You discover these rules by overhearing the squabbles between Dust, Horror, and Killer.

“Don’t touch my knife collection! I know one of you messed with them!”

“Did any one of you messy heathens take one of my shirts? Paps says it’s rude.”

_“Who ate my potato chisps?”_

Along with rules, you learn more about your captors/new housemates from what you hear through the door.

Killer, remaining true to first impressions, is the sort to be entertained by chaos and violence. A bored Killer is a very unpredictable Killer. And one to steer clear of when possible. He’s also extremely possessive of his knife collection.

Horror, on the other hand, is the ‘safest’ out of the three. He keeps mostly to himself and only gets violent when there’s food involved. And he might be a…cannibal? Whatever that means.

Dust isn’t _completely_ like ~~Geno (it didn’t happen, it didn’t _happen_ )~~ Killer despite the initial confusion. Yes, he enjoys shedding blood and spreading dust, but only during missions. Whenever he isn’t speaking with the invisible “Paps”, he usually spends his time napping.

Though you barely interact with them, you keep the rules close just in case. You don’t want to give any of them a reason to be upset with you. They barely tolerate you already, so you can’t risk pushing that.

Now _Rule #16_ is the currently the most important rule of them all:

Never ever engage with Killer alone when the red target over his chest becomes a blurred mess. It’s a rule that you have the misfortune to accidentally discover firsthand after you carelessly break Rule #2.

You don’t want to go into gory details, but you somehow make it out of the experience in one piece thanks to Nightmare’s last-minute intervention. No doubt he was there for longer but held off on stopping Killer out of curiosity. At least you come out of your near-death experience discovering something new about yourself. You find out that your Vessel doesn’t bleed or break permanently. As long as your soul remains unharmed, you think you’ll be able to recover from anything.

* * *

“I’m glad that you are feeling better, Blank.”

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are the only certain times that you leave your room. Horror does not take kindly to those who skip out on the meals he makes because Rule #1. There is a sense of a standstill or a truce between you and your bloodthirsty housemates at the dining table, so you can relax during these times. It helps that the food is always delicious.

You nod politely, acknowledging Nightmare’s words before turning back to dinner. Tonight, Horror made a hearty stew with a side of mashed potatoes. You endeavor to finish your dinner as hastily as possible. Horror has taken to staring at you lately and that’s too much attention than you are comfortable with, which is saying a lot since your muted emotions usually offer a high level of tolerance against feelings like fear and discomfort.

But Nightmare isn’t finished yet.

“You’ve been a very well-mannered guest during your entire stay. Not even a single escape attempt. I’m impressed,” he praises you to which you respond with another polite albeit confused nod, “and so, I believe that it’s only right to reward you for your good behavior.”

You try not to show your wariness. So far, Nightmare has been lenient and almost generous with you, which doesn’t add up since you’ve _seen_ how a single order can force the Bad Trio into obedience. Even Killer. _Especially_ Killer. Because of that, you keep your guard up. ~~You don’t want to be tricked by false kindness again (no, no, he _couldn’t have_ )~~ Captors are rarely this generous without conditions – or, at least, that’s what TK taught you. Stranger danger and don’t take any candy from weirdos and all that.

“You’ve been cooped up this entire time, haven’t you?” Nightmare tuts as if he hadn’t been the one to influence everything to turn out that way. “I’ll allow you to go out and stretch your legs. With a protector, of course. We wouldn’t want you to get _lost_ , do we?”

Nightmare turns to Killer, turning his back on you in the process. The other stiffens at the sudden attention.

“Since _you_ were the one who caused Blank so much trouble, I think it’s only fitting that you take on that role, Killer. Take them with you in your next mission.”

How is this supposed to be a good thing??? Being saddled with the most volatile member of the group, not to mention someone who made you hurt very bad, isn’t exactly your definition of safety. Killer looks like he wants to argue too but shuts up immediately at whatever look Nightmare levels him with. He grumbles and stabs into his mashed potatoes.

Killer’s bummed out, you’re the closest you’ve ever been to being miserable, and yet somehow Nightmare looks as if he’s had the best meal in a long while, which is unfair.

He hasn’t even touched his plate.

* * *

“Can’t believe that I’m playing _babysitter_ for the prisoner,” Killer complains about the nth time as he steps through the portal after you. Despite his complaints, he does take his duty seriously by keeping close to you, which is surprising seeing that Killer usually never takes things seriously.

You look around, taking in your surroundings. It’s a familiar sight. You’re in the Labs, but the interior looks significantly different than you’re used to. More…professional and practical? This isn’t an AU you are familiar with. You have no other clues to help you understand what kind of setting you are in. No Alphys and no other monsters are here in the Lab. The lights are off too. Maybe it’s nighttime?

_Which AU?_ You tentatively sign to Killer. Minimal communication with your captors has worked so far but your curiosity overrides your intention to act as if you’re nothing but air. You sign your question again when it becomes clear that he didn’t catch your message the first time.

Killer shrugs. It’s a flippant action, much like anything else he does. “No idea. Never cared enough to know any of the names they came up with. They’re all dead in the end anyways.”

With that, Killer says no more and ignores you, deciding that you really aren’t going to bolt at any given second. Which is true, you admit. He’s too close for you to attempt to slip away to the Omega Timeline.

You trail after Killer as he prowls deeper into the Lab. He stops occasionally to slice up some files or sabotage a particular machine. Though seemingly senseless in his casual destruction, you can’t help but feel that there is a specific intent behind all of this. Killer acts a bit too familiar with his surroundings for you to think otherwise.

Has he been here before? Did he used to work in the Lab ~~like Geno~~?

After Killer is satisfied with the chaos he wrought onto his surroundings, he walks towards an area full of lockers. When he finds one that is decently empty. He gestures you to climb inside.

You offer him your best _‘absolutely not’_ expression.

Then, you find a blade under your throat. Your expression shifts to a _‘really?’_ almost immediately. Has Killer really forgotten what had saddled him with you in the first place?

As if reading your mind, the skeleton withdraws his blade with a burdened sigh. “Yeah, yeah, don’t remind me. You’re the most boring captive to ever exist in the Multiverse. You can’t speak so you can’t beg for mercy. You don’t even stay broken for long and you’re practically soulless to boot. What good _are_ you if you can’t scream or get scared?”

Oh, you can still get scared and feel pain, not that you would ever tell Killer.

“Look, I can’t babysit you _and_ finish the mission Nightmare sent me here to do. I might be the best, but even _I_ have my limits.” Killer nudges you toward the locker. This time, you relent and climb inside. It’s a bit of a tight fit, but you’re satisfied to see that you can easily open and close the door from the inside.

_Mission?_ you sign, tilting your head. _How long?_

**(This might be your chance to escape.)**

Killer pats your head with his free hand patronizingly. “Nothing to worry your tiny, squishable head over, kiddo. I’ll handle all the heavy lifting and be back before you can even miss me. You just sit tight and _stay_ like a good human _,_ or I’ll hunt down that little time brat and test whether he’s just as resilient as you.”

With that threat delivered, Killer slams the locker door shut.

You watch through the small spaces of the locker to see Killer shortcut away with a lazy wave. 

* * *

Killer was right about one thing: you still didn’t miss him even after an hour of waiting alone in a smelly locker.

**(You could have escaped back to the Omega Timeline already. _Why_ did you let Killer scare you into staying in place? You never let fear control your before.)**

Your regretful thoughts cut short when an alarm goes off. The elevator doors leading down to the True Lab swings open and a skeleton monster rushes out. For a moment, you think the monster is Papyrus.

But then, another monster comes into view of your locker to meet him.

“Dr. Gaster! Oh, I’m so glad I found you! There’s an emergency. We need your help!”

You look wonderingly at W.D. Gaster as he’s hastily ushered away. He looks so different from his form in the Void. After they’re gone and you’re left alone again, you look back to the elevator. Curiosity once again niggles at you. Yes, you have seen the True Lab before, but that’s a version that’s long in the future after Alphys takes over. You’re certain that after Gaster left, the Lab is truly empty. Maybe you can take a little look?

No. The other scientists might come back. It’s safer to stay in the locker. Killer made it clear that he wants you to stay in place. It’s best not to leave –

_“they won’t be opening the door any time soon…they’re good like that.”_

**(…)**

You push the locker door open.

The trip down to the True Lab is quick since the elevator is in working order. Upon entering it, you know immediately that there is something amiss despite how significantly cleaner it is compared to the other times you visited it.

The deeper you wander into the Lab, the more the uneasy feeling grows. A room with two, large tubes long since drained of liquid in one room. A suspiciously dusty examination chair right under the DT extraction machine in another. The more you look, the more you understand that this is far more than a botched-up experiment being hidden away. This…looks deliberate. Whatever it is.

And someone is getting hurt because of it.

You’re certain that, if you can see your soul, it would be dripping green as you look through the Lab for any survivors. There has to be someone alive. Anyone.

“O-OH! HELLO!”

You whirl around at the voice. Though your expression remains as blank as ever, your insides clutch in horror at the sight in front of you. Two, young skeletons in hospital gowns lie huddled in the corner of some sort of prison blocked off by a magical force-field. They look at you with fear. They look weak, you think, and both of them are suffering from an eye socket injury. The dust and marrow on the bandages look fresh and new.

“WHO…ARE YOU?” The one you’re _certain_ is Papyrus speaks up again. When you don’t answer, the other one – _Sans_ – inspects you wearily. “you don’t look like a doctor. are you even supposed to be here?”

You shake your head.

“not much of a talker, huh?” Little Sans asks you critically.

You point to your throat and then shake your head.

“CAN’T…TALK?” Little Papyrus guesses. When you nod, his eyelights brightens and the fear falls away briefly to show joy at your affirmation. “I GOT IT RIGHT!” Then, he frowns. “OH NO. YOU CAN’T TALK. THAT’S NOT VERY GOOD.”

_I can sign,_ you try. When recognition lightens up in both pairs of eyelights, you nearly sag in relief. You introduce yourself to the brothers. You ask them about their circumstances. What are their names? How did they end up here? Is there anyone else with them? What did Gaster do to them? With each answer, your gut sinks lower and lower.

They are Subject 1-S and 2-P. They lived here their entire life. Experiments. Painful ones.

Life threatening ones.

_I’m going to get you both out of here,_ you inform them before looking around for something heavy or sharp. There is a keypad at the side of the door. It’s not a certain solution, but you have a guess that the force-field wouldn’t work anymore if the keypad is broken. 

Before you can test the theory out with a chair that you found, you feel the sharp poke of a knife at your back, stopping you at your tracks. “I thought I told you to stay. Put.”

Killer looks angry. You wonder when he came back to your empty locker.

_I can’t leave them._ You sign more calmly than you’re actually feeling. _Children. Torture. Need to get them out. Please. P-A-P._

Killer stares at you for a long moment before bursting into pealing laughter. He covers his face with his free hand. Globs of black liquid trails down his face like tears, re-staining the bones underneath.

“Oh. _Oh_. How cute. _Papyrus._ A typical argument that would put a common Sans to his knees,” he croons before you feel the knife dig deeper into your back. If Killer pushes all the way through, it’s bound to slice right through your soul. “ **But not me.** There’s a reason why I’m with a guy like Nightmare. I _killed_ my Papyrus a long time ago. Didn’t ya know?”

Killer’s voice cracks a little at the question. Or maybe it’s all in your head. You don’t know anymore. You want to be shocked or horrified by his what he did but…can you really be surprised anymore?

Even _Geno_ was willing to sacrifice Papyrus for his goal to destroy the entire timeline.

**(There. You finally acknowledged it. No more denying the truth.)**

“So _don’t_ use him as an excuse.” You hear him hiss into your ear before withdrawing. “We’re leaving.”

_No,_ you tell him with a shake of your head.

Killer has you slammed onto the force-field before you can even _blink_. The knife is now poised perfectly over your chest. You see his target-shaped soul tremble, threatening to shift into a blurred mess. _Rule #16, Rule #16!_ You’re about to break that rule and you don’t think there is going to be a Nightmare to hold him back this time.

But you can’t leave Sans and Papyrus alone here. You can’t.

You shake your head again. Killer’s too-wide smile strains when he sees that you aren’t budging from your decision.

“And you were being _so_ well behaved,” he tuts mockingly before raising his knife and –

“NEW FRIEND? ARE YOU HURT? I HEARD YOU TRIP AND CRASH INTO THE – NYEH?!”

Little Papyrus squeaks, gaining his Sans’ attention as well as Killer’s. You feel your soul pulse with _something_ as you do your best to angle yourself in front of the little skeleton and his brother despite your position. It doesn’t do much to hide them, though, not that Little Papyrus seems to mind.

“ANOTHER BROTHER? WOWIE! BROTHER, LOOK! THERE’S A TALLER YOU OUT THERE!”

Little Sans’ permanent grin does little to hide the alarm in his eyelights when he catches sight of the knife in his alternate’s grip. “yeah, bro…i can see that.”

“Paps?”

It came out so quiet that you nearly missed it. For a moment, you let yourself hope. But then, Killer raises his knife again. Both children yelp behind you, but you refuse to turn away from Killer to check on them. His soul is still warping, and you find yourself hoping that the force-field holds so he can’t get to them after he was finished with you.

**(You’re going to die.)**

You meet his empty gaze head-on. Fine. So be it.

Killer brings down his weapon and slashes it right through the keyboard next to you. When the force-field sputters out of existence, you fall back and onto the floor. You stare at Killer’s chest where an inverted heart with a target pattern glows back at you.

“…Get ‘em outta here before I change my mind.”

With that, Killer shortcuts away.

* * *

“ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO TAKE US AWAY?” Little Papyrus asks you breathlessly. Sans sticks closely to his brother’s side, looking as if it’s too good to be true. “are you really going to make sure the doctor won’t hurt us anymore?”

Little Papyrus panics at Little Sans’ words.

“NO, GASTER ISN’T – HE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON IF HE TRIES. I KNOW IT! IF I WORKED HARDER OR IF I WAS SMARTER, MAYBE HE WOULDN’T HAVE HURT SANS…OR ME.” He rubs at his arm self-consciously. You feel a little twist when you see the handplate drilled into his knuckles. “WE CAN BRING HIM WITH US! IF HE FELT SAFER, HE WOULDN’T NEED TO HURT ANYONE ANYMORE!”

“no way, bro. you don’t know what you’re talking about. that guy” – Little Sans trembles with overwhelming _hatred_ – “won’t change. he hurt us. _he’s been hurting us_ ever since we came to _be_. even if he comes with us to the safe place, he won’t ever start caring about us. he’ll just look for the next problem to fix and he’s either going to use us to fix it or throw us away to dust.”

Then, to the shared horror of you and Little Sans, his brother bursts into tears. Helplessly, the little skeleton tries to console his sweet-natured brother.

“oh no, no, no, bro, i’m sorry. i’m sorry. don’t cry.”

“I THOUGHT THAT IF I TRIED HARD ENOUGH, HE WOULD LOVE ME,” Little Papyrus whimpers, “AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH?”

You kneel down to the pair’s level and get their attention. Then, you begin to sign.

_You are good, smart, and kind. It isn’t that you aren’t enough. It’s just that what you give is too great for some to understand._

“GREAT?” Little Papyrus parrots, tears slowing. “YOU THINK I AM GREAT?”

“you’re the greatest, bro.”

Time to move on. You don’t want either of them to stay in this place any longer. Thankfully, you manage to find a door. You walk over to it, much to the confusion of the other two.

“…FRIEND, THAT IS THE BATHROOM.”

You close your eyes, grasp at the code, and open the door. What is on the other side isn’t a bathroom, but a completely different dimension. The safe haven of the Multiverse.

“WOWIE! YOU CAN DO THAT?” Little Papyrus marvels. He wanders closer to the doorway and takes your hand. Little Sans is at his other side, just as awestruck by the world beyond the door that used to be a dingy bathroom. “DO YOU THINK I CAN DO IT TOO?”

Before you can answer, a cage of bone attacks rises up, pinning you in place. Somehow, Papyrus manages to keep clinging onto your hand.

“Step away from the experiments, _human_.”

Only a few yards away from you, Dr. W.D. Gaster glares fiercely at you as he gestures the young skeletons to come over to his side. While Little Papyrus struggles to choose, Little Sans’ eyes meet yours and you both come to an understanding.

Quickly, you slip the Omega Timeline’s code into Little Papyrus’ hand and mouth, _run_.

Little Sans wastes no time. He yanks his brother through the door and slams the door shut before Gaster can do anything. The doctor sighs and storms over to the bathroom door. When he swings it open, the runaway ex-experiments are nowhere in sight. The room is empty.

The scientist whirls around and faces you. “Where are they?” There is desperation in his body language. He’s upset. Good. _“What have you done?”_

When you don’t answer, Gaster summons a blaster and begins to charge it up.

“Human, you will pay – grrrk!”

The attack is abruptly cut off. You stumble a little at the sudden absence of the bone cage holding you in place. Doctor Gaster falls forward and lands on his face, revealing an unamused Killer and a chair. Surprisingly, the scientist is still alive.

“You were taking too long.” Killer puts down the chair and avoids eye-contact. “Let’s get back before your bleeding heart finds another poor soul to save.”

* * *

“You’ve deviated from the original plan.”

The statement was blunt and to the point. It sounds accusing. Killer ducks his head down automatically. Guilty, you step in front of him as if to shield him from any potential verbal barb or punishment.

_My fault,_ you sign.

“Ah, Blank, so it was _your_ idea.”

Nightmare seems to loom over you dangerously, making Killer tense behind you. You feel him subtly trying to pull you back, but Nightmare is already too close. Then, he breaks the tension with a quick pat on the shoulder.

“Good job. It’s the most hopeless and despairing anyone has managed to render an AU in such short time. I knew that there was great potential in you.”

Nightmare nods to you approvingly.

“Congratulations, new intern. I hope you continue to bring good results.”

Excuse you, what.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **What.**


	21. Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't ignore what happened with Geno forever, but you sure as hell can try. Speaking of Geno-shaped issues, Nightmare partners you up with Dust to improve teamwork between all his staff. Thanks, Nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Even though I have no idea how you managed to get into the situation you are in, I commend you for making it this far without dying. Truly. Your luck is disgustingly impressive. Now please don't test it again by pulling stupid stunts like the one you did in the Handplates AU. As noble your actions were, you practically threw away your only key in getting out of Nightmare's grasp. Please, please think first before pulling something like that again. You can't help me if you're dead.**

Becoming Nightmare’s intern changes a lot of things.

For one, Killer began to actively interact with you outside of meals and random encounters in the hallway. Not every meeting is positive or even friendly but, there is something undeniably changed between the two of you. Dust and Horror notice and follow suit, including you in their dangerous games and roping you into their squabbles.

Within the first week of your sudden recruitment, your rules jump up to #64 because the increase of your interactions with your housemates.

Also, to your surprise, your new position requires you to participate in daily meetings. Apparently, a castle full of crazy skeletons wreaking havoc throughout the Multiverse can also be surprisingly efficient and well-organized. The duality of the entire situation struck you dumb the first time you sat in on a meeting.

Seeing them putting this much effort in making others miserable fills you with very mixed feelings. On one hand, you can see that everyone puts in a lot of thought into this, but on another…it’s for the purpose of being terrible to others.

Since you can’t sign quickly enough to properly contribute to the conversation, Nightmare gives you a notebook so you can fill it up with any ideas or opinions. You don’t think that he _really_ wants you to write up serious ideas for world destruction like the others. You guess that he just wants you to feel included or, at least, participate.

And you do. Not too much to actually make a significant contribution, but you do. Even though you are part of something morally wrong, the experience isn’t _bad_ or _terrible_. You have a place to rest and live in, you’re always fed, and you haven’t been forced to kill anyone.

**(Yet.)**

It’s not perfect. Not by a long shot. But you’re beginning to get used to life in Nightmare’s castle.

You don’t think about the two clocklocks hidden away in your pocket. Because thinking of them always ends up leading you to the clocket sitting heavy in the other. It’s a miracle that no one has found out about them yet. Not that you ever reach for them. TK had warned you after all; the tiny hourglasses would only send you to the last AU you made contact with. In your case, it has always been the Save Screen of Aftertale thanks to your mistake in bringing the clocket along with you.

You can escape. It just takes clipping the keychain onto yourself and turning the hourglass over. But you don’t because, to be honest? You would rather remain stuck here with Nightmare and his murdering Sanses than to return to a place where Geno is.

* * *

The anger doesn’t come immediately. It’s a slow, poisonous thing that creeps up on you the more you think about what happened.

Of course, these moments don’t come too often since you’re too busy running about the castle performing menial tasks that the other dump onto you. They keep you busy and your thoughts quiet.

But then, something breaks.

“Lying,” Horror rumbles to you one day. You had just finished a conversation with Killer before the skull-cracked skeleton crept up on you. “Killer,” he clarifies when you don’t respond for a long time, mistaking your shocked silence as confusion, “he was lying. Those folders aren’t Dust’s.”

The folders that he was talking about were the ones that Killer had gleefully deposited into your arms to deliver. You tilt your head and sign _How?_

“How do I know?” Horror hums and you’re surprised that he’s actually answering your question. This is actually the first conversation that you’re having with him without having Nightmare or food to encourage him. Didn’t he just tolerate your presence? You thought he didn’t like humans. “Everyone has tells when they have plans on playing pranks. Killer’s depends on the situation. Sometimes, it’s a specific pitch when he laughs. Sometimes, it’s a specific way he plays with his knife. Today, it’s the laugh. Remember that?” You nod. You do. “Dust is easier. He tugs his scarf over his mouth, so he can hide his smile when he’s telling a lie.”

Horror says something else. You’re not sure what. You feel as if you were dumped into cold water and the whole world’s gone quiet. You nod anyways and Horror takes the folders from you, leaving you alone in the middle of the hallway.

**(Even though you don’t want to think about it, the memory comes. Papyrus’ scarf that Geno had treasured so much and wore as a reminder. You remember how he placed his hand over it.)**

**(You remember how he would lift it over his mouth.)**

Without the shock and denial in the way, you find yourself looking back on every memory and interaction with doubt. How many times had he lied to you? How many times did he laugh at you behind that scarf? The more your mind wanders on it, the more the anger simmers and bubbles. It pushes against the cracks of your Void-covered soul and widens them painfully.

_Ever since the beginning,_ you realize, _and up until the end._

The anger finally bursts, ripping away at what is already raw and painful. It fills up your lungs and makes you choke. You feel like you’re drowning and burning at the same time. It’s a terrible feeling.

_How could he,_ you think, **_How could he?_**

Eventually, you can’t stand the burning of your lungs and throat any longer. You cough into your hand. When you withdraw it, you see a splatter of yellow covering your palm like paint.

* * *

Everyone seems to sense the change even though your expression and actions don’t show it. It’s as if they can see through your skin and see all the poison running underneath. Especially Nightmare, who always looked pleased when seeing you nowadays. He watches you carefully, not out of caution, but out of interest.

It’s as if he doesn’t want to miss the moment all that bottled up negativity _exploded._

But you don’t. You refuse to. If you can have it your way, these horrible feelings are going to stay locked away in the darkest corners of your mind forever, thank you very much.

It’s too bad that Nightmare refuses to leave your emotional scars alone long enough to heal.

“Blank, you tend to be more creative when thinking up ideas. Do you have anything new to share?” Nightmare turns to you, making everyone else in the room stiffen and look at you fearfully. Even the usually apathetic Killer fumbles in catching his knife, speaking volumes about everyone’s rising anxiety. Judging by the smug turn of Nightmare’s grin, their discomfort was his aim all along.

You feel offended. It’s not like you pitch ideas for mass murder or extreme torture every single time you offer your notebook. So what if the last idea that you had involved gathering as many Jerry’s as possible and dumping them into a single AU? No one died and Nightmare was happy! At most, it was a mild inconvenience to the Multiverse.

To the relief of many, you shake your head and show Nightmare a blank page.

“No new ideas? A pity.”

You thought Nightmare would leave it at that. He doesn’t.

“Perhaps another outing would bring you out of your slump. It’s certainly been a long time,” Nightmare muses. You remain cautious towards his seemingly innocuous and well-meaning suggestion. No matter how well he treats you, you are more than aware that Nightmare is not your friend, nor does he do things without a reason. There must be something else that he isn’t saying. “Of course, you will be needing a partner.”

Killer brightens up at Nightmare’s words and shoots you a smile. “Heh. Guess it’s both of us again, huh? Don’t hold me back again, kid.”

“No, Killer. You will be needed somewhere else.” Completely ignoring Killer’s irritation, Nightmare shifts his attention to another member. “…Dust,” he decides, “you will be working with Blank.”

Both of you freeze.

It’s no secret that out of the three, Dust is your least favorite. And he’s very well aware of it.

Dust looks between you and Nightmare uncertainly before speaking up. “Uh, Boss, I don’t think that’s the best –

Like a swatted fly, Dust is off his chair and slammed onto the nearest wall. With wide eyes, you watch as he scrabbles helplessly against the tentacle pinning him by the neck. You don’t think he’s suffocating since he has no throat or lungs, but the position is clearly uncomfortable.

**“Are you talking back to me, Dust?”**

“N-No. Not at all, boss.”

Nightmare holds Dust aloft for a few more beats as if to make a point before letting him fall into a painful pile of bones. Horror is at his side instantly, helping him up and checking him over for any chips or breaks to heal.

So this is Nightmare’s true face. This is the leader that had brought three dangerous murderers to their knees. This was what you were bracing for ever since you were brought into this castle.

Satisfied with the silence and fear around him, Nightmare gestures to the door.

“You are all dismissed.”

* * *

It’s quiet between you and Dust when you both step through the portal. Like before, your surroundings are empty. The silence and emptiness of Snowdin is disconcerting. You wave your hand, catching Dust’s attention before signing, _Genocide?_

“Nah, there’s no dust. And I know how dust looks on snow.” There’s a strange twist in Dust’s smile as he says this. His eyes flicker away from you for a moment to something invisible before getting back to you. “Paps says that we should go further in to see what’s up. I agree. Let’s take a shortcut.”

You let Dust grab you and take you ahead to Snowdin Town.

Or…where Snowdin Town was _supposed_ to be.

Most of the buildings are gone. Even Grillby’s. But it’s not like the destruction Killer wrought onto Dancetale’s Snowdin. No, it’s as if the buildings had never been there at all. Even the Skeleton Brother’s home is gone, leaving only the shed. Curious, you wander away from Dust. He’s been muttering to himself anyways, so you don’t think he’d miss you too much for a bit.

Tentatively, you step into the shed and blink in surprise.

Every wall is covered in papers. Pages upon pages of scribbles are carelessly tacked onto the wood. Some have ripped loose and sit upon the floor. _Reset,_ every header repeats, accompanied by numbers that grow progressively higher. When you look behind some of the papers, you see lines scratched onto the walls. They never seem to end.

You look back down on the paper in your hand and give it a skim.

_“Reset #356,”_ it reads, _“Miss Muffet disappeared today. Snowdin seems colder without her and her establishment, not that anyone left remembers her anymore. It’s like I lost my brother all over again. She’s the one who ran the Sugar Trap Papy loved to drop by. (Spider Cider and Spider Donuts – his favorites.) Even though I never liked him gorging on unhealthy food, it’s what made him happy. Miss Muffet is of the spider clan. She never liked late payments. Her pet is named Cupcake. Remember her._

Many of the other entries have similar contents. Someone or something would disappear at every Reset. There would be snippets of information hastily scrawled after the names. Sometimes, there would even be memories. All would end the same way: _Remember them._

In the end, you step back and nearly jump out of your skin when you bump into something. You whirl around to see an amused Dust. His hood does little to hide the way his mismatched eyelights glow eerily in the dark.

“You don’t really pay attention to your surroundings, do you? A piece of advice, you should brush up on that if you want to continue tagging along in these kinds of missions. You’re lucky that this AU is empty.”

_Underswap,_ you sign, _Sans remembers._

Dust’s eyes widen and he lets out a whistle. “A Blueberry remembering Resets? Now _that’s_ not something you see and hear every day. But that doesn’t explain why everybody’s vanished.”

_Disappearances at every Reset,_ you informed him while trying to look for one of the earlier entries. Maybe those might have an answer?

_“ ~~Dear Diary~~ Reset #27,”_ you finally find, _“I saw something strange during my patrol. A patch of snow isn’t looking or acting right. It looks like that time when the computer got broken and I had to bring it over to Undyne to fix it. I fenced it off just in case it’s dangerous. I should tell Alphys about it soon. I noticed that Snowdrake isn’t at his usual place, so I asked around and no one knows who he is??? It doesn’t make sense._

_“I don’t have much time to look more into it, though. Maybe the next time the human turns back time. They’re coming soon. I’m scared. It hurts to die. But I have to try! This time, I might be able to convince them! Or maybe, they’ll get bored and stop everything. Either is fine. The human keeps destroying this world and building it back up. Over and over again._

_“I can’t tell Papy that I know.”_

Dust is quiet as he reads with you over your shoulder.

“Sounds like a corruption in the code,” he finally concludes. “Not now, Paps,” he mutters to the specter only he sees, “I’m a little busy trying to solve this puzzle.” He returns his attention to the paper in your hand. He points at a line. “Here. _The human keeps destroying this world and building it back up._ I’ve heard humans doing this to their timelines once or twice, but to do it again and again like pressing a Reset button? No wonder this AU’s all screwed up. They’re _breaking_ it.”

Dust’s left eye starts to charge up with magic as his irritation and instability grows. The clashing rings of red and blue in his left eye results with a trail of purple light as he begins to pace around the shed. “I _hate_ brats like that. Having the gall to play around with the world’s code after committing so many Genocides. Heh. It’s too bad this world only exists ‘cause of that demon.”

_How?_ You ask Dust after waiting for him to calm down long enough to sign.

“What is a game without its player?” Dust asks you rhetorically. “That human chipped away at the entire AU’s stability because of some stupid game. Every Reset makes the world wipe out something else. I bet that Snowdin is the only part of the Underground left standing.”

_Why focus on Snowdin?_ You wonder. _Why are they so interested in their Sans?_

A rattling hiss escapes from Dust’s teeth. “I keep forgetting that you’re so _green_. Are you sure you’re a human? You always seem to overlook how _messed up_ your kind can be to their AUs. Think of it like this: A Papyrus remembers the Resets after a Genocide. He remembers, but instead of taking up arms and fighting, he keeps being good. He keeps showing mercy. He keeps refusing to kill you. Every. Time. I don’t know about you, but if I were the human, I’d want to break him down until he throws away those ideals.”

He tilts his head to the side as if listening to someone taller whisper into his ear canal and lets out a giggle.

“Yeah, Paps, you’re right. **It makes me want to put the poor sucker out of his misery.** ”

Though disturbed, you can’t really argue against Dust’s suggestion. From what you’re seeing, it is kinder to let him die instead of leaving him in this endless cycle until the AU caves in on itself.

_He lost his brother,_ you sign, _No Resets can ever bring him back. How can he continue to fight even after that?_

It’s something that you can’t understand.

“Maybe he thinks that he can bring them back. It’s a typical mindset for a Blue to have. I fought against one of them enough times to pick up on that. They’re stubborn.” Dust suggests before a thought hits him. “Hey, you’re pretty chatty. Killer never mentioned that.”

_Killer talks about me?_

“Yeah, you don’t know? That guy never shuts up about you. He brags that he’s your favorite all the time. It pisses me off.”

Huh.

“You really don’t know,” Dust marvels. The instability and seething magic are long gone, leaving behind only amusement as he regards you with new eyes. “And here I thought you were a smug little shit when, in reality, you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing.”

You cross your arms in displeasure. Dust might be completely right about you, but that doesn’t mean that you’re going to be happy about it.

Dust laughs harder at your reaction.

You feel a small spark of reluctant amusement as he continues to laugh. If you could, you think you’d be smiling and laughing too. Just a little.

**(The moment overlaps with another scene. You’re standing next to someone else with a red scarf. You’re happy and laughing together about something silly. A terrible pun. Or a memory. It fills you with warmth.)**

And then, the moment leaves, leaving you feeling empty.

As if sensing your change of mood, Dust’s laughter fades. Eager to distract yourself from the memory, you choose to continue asking more questions. 

_What should we do? What does Nightmare want?_

At the mention of his goopy leader, Dust sobers up quickly, most likely thinking back to his most recent punishment. “Probably to find some way to squeeze out some negativity before this AU breaks itself, which should be impossible now since we’ve been here for a while. This place is at its last legs. One more Reset and this place is bound to fall apart.”

_Can’t we stop the human?_

“From Resetting again? Ha! As if I didn’t try that before. What do you think got me into this mess in the first place? I had to raise my LV with the dust of everyone I knew to manage to go toe-to-toe with the human from my original AU. It took killing them to stop the Resets. That way would be useless since we’re trying to _avoid_ destroying this world so soon.”

_It’s possible,_ you insist, putting aside what you’ve just learned about Dust in favor of the current situation, _taking away the Reset button is the hard part since it’s a battle of Determination, but it’s pretty easy to break it._

“You can do _what_.”

* * *

Taking away the Reset button isn’t as difficult as you thought once you and Dust find the human. The amount of Determination leveled against you is flimsy at best even with the pieces of the Void muffling your soul.

Chara…or what’s left of Chara, is a pathetic, twisted thing of glitches and naked code. You see them for the first time standing over a downed Blue with glee written over their circuit board-patterned face. They’re cackling.

**“Finally. It’s taken you – what? Five hundred times? A thousand? – to finally throw away those stupid ideals and try to kill me. I _knew_ you would break eventually!”**

Blue doesn’t answer. He’s unconscious and his HP is dangerously low.

You take that opportunity to reach out for the button. It flies away from Chara’s menu and into the hands of another with far more Determination. You waste no time in bringing a fist down onto it.

It shatters into pieces in front of everyone’s eyes.

**“No!”** Chara yowls as they throw themselves at you, knife raised. **“What have you done?! You idiot!”**

Dust yanks them off before they can do any true harm, eye blazing with purple magic. Bone attacks circle behind him ominously. “Hey kid…wanna have a MAD time?”

You ignore the shrieks and screams coming from Chara as Dust attacks them with the same killing intent that they had wanted from Blue. They won’t find any Mercy from you. There’s even a brief curl of vindictive satisfaction when you hear one of the attacks hit. Of course, Dust is holding back a little bit so he can draw out their pain.

Chara stood no chance against Dust. At the end of it, he tosses you their knife. You catch it gingerly. “I think that’s enough negativity to make the boss happy. We should get going before we get caught up in this AU’s destruction.”

You nod and take a step but pause when you remember the other Sans.

You look down at Blue. He looks so different from the other Swaps you met. He’s not wearing any armor and his clothes are all in dark colors. You catch sight of a torn piece of orange fabric tied around his leg. Since the only constant of this world is gone, his body is already starting to glitch out of existence.

_This isn’t fair,_ you can’t help but think.

And then, a terrible idea hits you.

When you catch up to Dust, Blue is gone, and your pocket is one clocklock lighter.

* * *

Nothing happens.

Nothing explodes into messy pieces. The clocket remains whole and unbroken in your pocket. The Multiverse remains the same. _You_ remain the same. The other shoe doesn’t drop and you’re fine.

**(You’re fine.)**

Nothing happens.

* * *

Something happens.

Something terrible and horrible happens. It’s as if the multiverse is punishing you for your moment of weakness for a deteriorating Sans you didn’t even know. You should have listened to TK. You shouldn’t have used that tiny hourglass with the clocket on you. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be back here in the endless blankness.

“i’ll come back and get ya when it’s safe.”

Geno is there. He’s there and he’s starting to close the door. You’re far away from the door this time and it fills your soul with so much _terror_. The blanket around your shoulders fall away as you make a mad dash towards the door. You can’t let Geno close it. _You can’t_.

He sees your desperation and _knows_ that you know. He sends a familiar pattern of bone attacks your way to slow you down, but you weave through all of it. You know what to expect. Instead of holding you back, every attack sparks your anger and drives you forward. In seconds, he’s on the ground and you have him by the collar of his hoodie.

You look him in the eye and _explode_.

_How dare you?_ You scream, giving him a shake. _Why, Geno? After every happy ending I turned away for you. Why?_

“because you weren’t enough,” he says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. He stabs you in the abdomen with a bone attack, but it doesn’t matter. Everything already hurts too much for you to care about something like that. “everything you’ve gained and lost means nothing to me.”

_I hate you,_ you tell him, **_I hate you_**.

For treating you with false kindness. For making you bear the guilt of actions you never committed. For telling you bedtime stories and sharing memories. For telling you that your life mattered. For making you believe in a future. For using you. For throwing you away. For _leaving_ you.

You’re crying. You’re sobbing. All the ugly feelings are rearing up and making a mess between you and him. You give him a rough shake again before letting go. He falls back and stares at you. Somehow, you calm down enough to ask him your final question.

_Once, you said that you cared about me. Did you mean it?_

“no.” And you recoil like he slapped you in the face. Geno’s tone is so cold and unfeeling. There wasn’t even a beat of hesitation in his answer. “you were created to be thrown away, kid. i can’t love that.”

Your eyes burn as you lift your knife **(Where did that come from?)** up to bring it down. You don’t want to see him anymore. You don’t ever want to see him again. You –

“That’s enough.”

And then, your surroundings warp and change. The blankness fills with colors and sounds of a forest around you and a blue sky over your head. Geno is no longer below you. He never was. It’s only Dust. You drop the knife in your hand as if it burned you and scramble away from him. Streams of a sickly yellow continue to run down your eyes no matter how much you try to wipe them away.

Your memories come back to you. That’s right. Nothing happened after you sent Blue away. But the AU had started to collapse sooner than Dust had prepared for. So, he made a careless portal for both of you to escape through, landing you both in an AU called _Glitchtale_. Consequently, it also led you both to stumble upon a creature called Bête Noire, the physical incarnation of fear.

And apparently, one that can cause fear-inducing visions onto others.

“You overstepped, brat,” you hear Nightmare snarl. How did he know you and Dust were here? “You shouldn’t have played around with someone else’s belongings. Blank and Dust are _mine_ to terrorize and instill fear in. Not yours.”

The rest of their interaction is a blur as you slowly feel yourself shut down. Nightmare resolves it all somehow and Bête Noire is nowhere in sight by the time it’s all done and over with. You think he talks to Dust. You’re not sure. Eventually, he comes up to you and says something. When you don’t respond, he lets out a sigh and picks you up.

You go limp in Nightmare’s grip and cry.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I -**
> 
> **I'll leave you alone.**


	22. Obstinance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare decides that you need a break from bringing chaos to the Multiverse. You tell him you're fine. He doesn't believe you. None of them do.
> 
> Or, Horror takes you under his wing and Dust forces you to open up. This gets...mixed results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **...**

Any illusion of control and power you might have managed to maintain shattered in _Glitchtale_. While Dust had the front-row seat to your breakdown, Horror and Killer were able to witness the messy aftermath when Nightmare carried you both back into the castle.

You must’ve looked small and weak because, after that? No one let you do any work and practically forced you into bed rest for an indefinite period. Every argument you make, every insistence that you’re fine (you’re _fine_ ), gets shut down. Your access to the meeting room is once again barred. Even the _dining room_ isn’t available anymore. Instead, all your meals are delivered by Horror to your room.

It’s like you’re back to square one, except worse.

Being stuck in once place, it’s stifling. It’s boring. It’s driving you out of your mind. Even the sight outside your balcony only offers the bare minimum entertainment. Even wastelands and ruined remains of houses can only offer so much mental stimulation.

Horror, being the only one you’ve been interacting with for the past few days, takes pity on your restlessness and somehow manages to convince Nightmare to let you accompany him on a minor mission.

“We won’t be doing anything exciting,” Horror warns you, “so don’t expect an adventure like the ones you went on with Killer and Dust.”

You nod as fervently as you can express and latch onto his hand, wordlessly promising that you’d behave. That seems to be enough for him as he summons a portal and brings you through.

* * *

You blink when you find yourself in the Judgement Hall.

Except, it isn’t. Not really. It’s in ruins. The beautiful, stained glass windows are all shattered. The tiled floor is broken and uneven. Even some of the columns have collapsed. The entire hall would have looked devastating if it weren’t for the overgrowth of flowers and other greenery. It’s more of an abandoned garden than a hallway in its current state. If any battle had transpired here, it had happened a long time ago. You can see that there is nothing beyond both sides of the hallway. It’s as if everything else had crumbled away into the Void.

“Yup,” Horror confirms as if reading your thoughts, “this is all that’s left of this AU. Told ya this won’t be as fun.”

_What are we here to do?_

“Officially? To try to recruit the poor sucker over there.”

You peer over your shoulder to see what he’s pointing at. It turns out, what you had thought was a bed of golden flowers was actually a Sans. You stiffen when you recognize the scarf and the Save star necklace. A long, long time ago, you remember seeing those same exact accessories on a Sans carrying his Frisk on his back through Waterfall.

He’s so still. He’s covered in so many golden flowers. If you didn’t already know the universal fact that monsters dusted, you would’ve thought him dead.

“Yeah. Not really recruitment material, is he?” Horror muses, fiddling with his axe. For a single, heart-stopping moment, you think he’s going to use it on unconscious Sans. “But that Red’s miserable. And boss likes miserable.”

_What happened?_

“Well, it seems our Red here made a deal with the Demon so he could get his Frisk back.”

With Chara? From what you remember in your Underfell run, they hated monsterkind just as much as they hated humans. It must be the same in Flowerfell too. It’s not too surprising to see that they took advantage of Red’s grief after he lost his Frisk to achieve that goal.

_What did they do?_

“Well, they somehow gave Red the ability to control time and tricked him into rewinding everything to before the barrier was broken. Sad thing is, they hijacked his Frisk. Wore their skin like a suit and killed everyone. Red tried to fight back and make things right again but…well, monsters were never supposed to wield the ability to turn back time. He didn’t have enough Determination to control it right. So, in the end, he just kept dying.”

At every death, a flower grows, you remember TK telling you. And since the power of time lied on Red’s shoulders because of his deal with Chara, the flowers grew on him every time he was killed. It must’ve been horrible to be killed by the one you love or kill them. Over and over again. The unfairness of it all makes your throat tighten. You cough. You wipe away the resulting mix of yellow and green.

_Where is Chara?_

Horror points wordlessly at another bed of flowers. Under it all, you see Frisk’s body, silent and still. Grasped in their hands is a knife.

“Won’t be wakin’ up ‘til Red kicks the bucket and time turns back again.”

Horror goes silent and looks down at Red consideringly.

“…You know, they say the tragedy of this AU is written in its code.” You nod, familiar with those words, but Horror isn’t finished. “They say that about a lot of AUs that go sour, you know that?” His spindly fingers tighten around the handle of his weapon. “That’s fine. I know getting involved and tryin’ to avoid tragedy makes the Multiverse all messy. I came from a lost cause myself and I accepted it. But to see someone fight so hard against a crap ending? Well, I can’t turn my back on that.”

_You want to help._ You’re not surprised. Out of the three, Horror has always shown a little more compassion and empathy despite his tendency to hack first and ask later.

“Dust said that you could break Reset buttons after taking them?”

You nod.

“Can you try again?”

You reach out for the button. Nothing happens. You reach out for it again. Nothing happens.

_No Reset Button,_ you finally conclude.

“So, it’s a Save Point problem.” Horror makes a snarling sound at the back of his throat. You feel guilty at the face of his frustration. There’s a chance to make things better but you can’t even do this. “Can’t do anything about that. That’s Dust’s specialty. He’s the one who can break ‘em.”

Misery and defeat settle on both of your shoulders like a cloak. You both watch the flowers in silence.

_I have something that might help,_ you finally confess, _but it’s a secret._

“A secret?” Bemused, Horror seems to accept your words without the anger or suspicion you expected. “It can help him, right?” He looks satisfied by your nod. “Okay. I won’t look.”

Horror turns his back to you as you kneel next to Red’s body. It takes only a moment to clip on the clocklock and turn the hourglass. Horror doesn’t ask any questions when he turns around to see Red gone, much to your relief.

* * *

“Don’t tell boss about what you can do with Reset buttons,” Horror makes you promise before getting back to the castle. “Dust and I will keep quiet, so don’t use it again.”

You extend your pinky finger. _Promise._

“I’ll hold you to that,” Horror says seriously as he links his pinky with yours.

* * *

To your surprise, Dust delivers your food instead of Horror many days after your minor mission. The jam-smothered toast paired with the side of eggs smells wonderful, but your attention is grabbed by your visitor, who wastes no time on demanding for answers.

Dust wants to know what you saw in _Glitchtale_ that made you snap like you did.

You struggle to answer. You don’t know _how_ to define everything you think and feel into sign. _It’s too much,_ you tell him helplessly.

But then, Dust pushes forward your notebook and pen.

“Then write.”

* * *

You can’t.

Oh, you can _write_ fine. It’s just the how that’s got you stuck. How do you tell your story to Dust? How much are you willing to share? Should you even waste your words and efforts in talking about the lie? But what if the truth isn’t enough?

“Writing problems again?” Horror sympathizes after coming into a room full of balled up paper for the fourth time. “Dust shouldn’t be pushin’ you like this. It’s not easy opening up.”

You toss another botched attempt over your shoulder. It bounces off the edge of the overfilled trashcan and lands on the rug, joining the rest of its brethren. Your face falls forward and hits the desk with a heavy ‘thunk’.

“How about another outing? I have some time off, so I can take you out to an AU for some fresh air,” Horror suggests, setting the tray of food next to you. “We’ll leave after you finish your waffles and tater tots.”

_Which ones are the W-A-F-F-L-E-S?_

“…You’re kidding.”

If you could blush, you would. Instead, you stuff your mouth full of – what you guess are – the waffles and find that they’re like pancakes but with more texture. You studiously ignore Horror as he continues to stare at you. You quickly wipe the plate clean. _Go now?_ You signal with a hand while you wipe your mouth with a napkin with the other.

Horror nods.

Half an hour later, Horror is muttering darkly to himself while you wait patiently beside him. Both of you are in the middle of Snowdin and, apparently, in the wrong AU. According to Horror, it’s a neutral AU that’s more on the positive side, which means recharging up the portal is going to take a bit of time.

“Sorry, Blank,” Horror apologizes regretfully, “guess we won’t be able to go to _Candytale_ today.”

You blink. _Candytale_? There’s an AU called – oh, why are you even surprised at this point? There’s an AU for _everything_ in the Multiverse. What’s even more surprising is the fact that you didn’t come across it until now. You wonder why Horror would take you to such a positive-sounding place when it causes traveling inconveniences.

**(Or perhaps there’s a hidden negative aspect to this innocuously named AU?)**

“Horror, sweetie~ it’s been a while!”

The new voice startles you out of your thoughts as a new Sans struts up to greet Horror. Your nearly flinch when the stranger latches onto Horror’s arm. For a moment, you fear for the Sans. But Horror isn’t making any move to hack him into dusty pieces, so maybe this monster might be a friend?

“Lust,” Horror greets the newcomer, confirming your suspicions. He still sounds grumpy, but he’s not being mocking or unkind. He doesn’t even shove him away.

“What’s brought you back to this little corner of the Multiverse? Don’t tell me that you and Dusty missed little ol’ me. Which reminds me, is he with you?” Lust looks around and catches sight of you. “Oh. And who’s this?”

“Blank, the new intern,” Horror answers with a small smile. “Kid, say hi to Lust.”

You wave hello. _I love your colors. You look very pretty in them,_ you compliment because it’s true. It’s rare to see a Sans whose fashion goes beyond the classic hoodie and sports shorts combo. The blue fur lining his purple vest is in a shade you’ve never seen before – not even in your time at _Oceantale_. It looks soft and fluffy to touch.

In response to the admiring words you signed, Lust lets out a squeal and gathers you into his arms. He crushes you into a hug that feels…actually nice. You…you don’t think you’ve been hugged like this for a long, long time. Lust holds you like you’re precious even though you know you’re not.

“So cute,” Lust coos as he lets you go, “so, _so_ cute. Where did Horror find such a smooth-talking munchkin like you? And here I thought all of Nightmare’s lackeys are brutes.”

_What does M-U-N-C-H-K-I-N_ _mean? What’s a L-A-C-K-E-Y?_

“Kid, we need to get you a dictionary.”

At Horror’s words, Lust lets out a snicker that a Sans always makes when hearing an unintentional pun. Judging by Horror’s disgruntled expression, he knows it too. Lust says something else. A joke by his tone, but you don’t understand what it means.

_What does L-I-B-I-_

Horror stops your hands before you can finish your question. Lust does his best to stay upright as he laughs. He’s close to tears. You don’t know what you did that was so amusing, but Lust’s amusement is infectious. You think you’d laugh along if you could.

As an apology for “using that language around the innocent, little soul”, Lust gifts you with a set of crayons that used to belong to his Papyrus. “He’s not a babybones anymore, so they’ll go to better use in your hands. You like colors, right? Knock yourself out with ‘em. Express yourself.”

Lust’s words stay with you even as you return to the castle and to your room. You look from the blank page of your notebook to the pack of crayons.

You draw.

* * *

You tell your story the best you could. It flows better with pictures, you think. There are words that you add here and there. Words that stuck with you.

“What the fuck,” Dust finally declares after he reads the completed work. “What the actual fuck.”

“Language,” Horror reminds him, though his single eye flashes ominously, “there’s a child here.”

“Fuck that, Blank isn’t a child. They’re a baby. They’re literally a baby and this _Geno_ tossed them away for whatever bullshit reason. _And the bastard has the gall to look like me!_ It just –” Dust makes a strangled sound of rage “Blank is the _last_ human to deserve any of that!”

“Which is why you shouldn’t be swearing and yelling like that in front of them. Look, you’re making ‘em cry.”

You’re not crying. You’re not. This isn’t news to you, so it shouldn’t hurt you. You’re fine.

**(Your face is leaking streams of purple with no signs of stopping. You aren’t fine.)**

You’re fine.

* * *

Nightmare lets you back into the meeting and dining rooms when he judges you “more stable”, but he refuses to let you out on active missions. It’s a punishment for showing so much weakness and you can’t blame him. This place is not meant to be kind.

You try to draw of happier things with the crayons. You draw the sea, the sky, and Mt. Ebott. It’s not good, but you think you’re getting better. It certainly passes the time. Horror and Dust drops by more often to visit too. They’d either bring you food or gifts from their missions. A soft plushie here. A cup of hot chocolate there. They even brought more art supplies for you once. They fuss over you now, which throws you in a loop. But in the end, you know that they’re only pitying you for your weakness and for being so gullible. You know.

Your only solace is Killer, who continues to treat you the same despite the looks he receives from Dust and Horror. The only time he ever acknowledged what happened to you was when he told you that he would tear apart every Geno he met.

_It’s okay,_ you remember telling him, _I’m fine._

* * *

_Farmtale_ is a peaceful AU that you’re certain Nightmare would’ve torn apart a long time ago if most of the ingredients for the meals didn’t come from here. As you’re currently taken out of active duty, Horror lets you help him out on errands. Since Nightmare has yet to voice his displeasure in your (supervised) AU-jumping, visiting the peaceful universe more often than not.

Crop and Sprout, the Sans and Papyrus of this universe, are always generous and kind whenever you visit. Of course, they also take advantage of an extra pair of hands. You find your hands buried in dirt more often than not. Still, it’s fulfilling, and you can tell that it’s the same with Horror.

So, you ask him why he doesn’t just stay here.

“Crop and Sprout…they’re good monsters. They helped me out too many times to count,” Horror starts haltingly, “but I can’t stay. I slip too much for it to be safe for them. Too violent. Always hungry. And the blood on my hands…heh. I already committed too many sins. Yeah, I had the excuse of slaughtering and eating all those humans and monsters ‘cause I came from an Underground that starved, but after that? No excuse. I was angry. So, I…hurt others. I took away their hopes and dreams just so I wouldn’t be the only one. To just comfortably settle here would be wrong. I regained enough of my conscience to know at least that much.”

Horror digs out a couple of turnips before he continues.

“I used to be good,” he tells you with a voice so soft, “I used to have dignity. I was a Judge, but then the human killed Asgore, took the human souls, and left us with nothing. The CORE stopped working. We ran out of food. Undyne…she…” Horror clutched at the hole on his skull before taking a breath to steady himself. “I did horrible things. Unforgivable things to innocent people who didn’t deserve it.”

You listen. You don’t know why he’s telling you all of this, but you listen.

“That Geno…I don’t understand why he threw away a good thing like you. But if he’s anything like Dust or Killer, I’d say that it’s ‘cause madness blinded him. Being stuck on a loop you can’t control and remembering every second of it can do things to a Sans. For Dust, he lost sight of his original goal and killed his own Papyrus. For Killer? Heh, that freak joined hands with his Chara and slaughtered everyone for _fun_.”

Horror pauses and corrects himself. “I’m not making any excuses for him. What I’m trying to say is that everything turned out this way because of _Geno’s_ shortcomings. Not yours. You did everything right, Blank. You did what you could, and he threw it into your face. So, take care of yourself instead. You matter too.”

You try not to flinch.

**(Geno said that too.)**

And you believed it. Just like all of his other lies.

Horror seems to sense that his words hit you wrong, but he doesn’t push. He leaves the conversation at that. You and Horror quietly gather up the rest of the turnips before getting ready to return to the castle. Crop meets you both at the portal.

“I’m guessin’ it’s time for both of ya to go, huh?” He chews on his wheat stem with a sad grin at Horror’s slow nod. “Thought so. Hey, before ya leave, I got somethin’ for the kid from Sprout.”

To your silent amazement, Crop produces a beautiful bouquet of flowers from behind his back like a magic trick. Any negative feelings that you might have still retained were completely forgotten in favor of the flowers in front of you. You thank Crop and carefully carry the gift back to the castle. You don’t let go of it until you find a proper vase to put them in and even then, you watch it for hours.

That night, you go to bed with your stomach full of creamy turnip soup and the sweet smell of flowers.

* * *

That night, you dream for the first time in a while. You’re somewhere warm and sunny. You’re sitting underneath the shade of a tree on top of a hill. A beautiful stretch of land is rolled out in front of you to see for miles. You close your eyes and enjoy the feeling of the breeze. It’s nice.

“Um, hello!”

You jump, alert at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. You come face-to-face with a skeleton.

He’s small, you notice, smaller than any of the Sanses you’ve ever encountered before. He’s wearing a cape and a crown and reminds you of a monster child playing pretend. He looks sweet, but appearances can be deceiving. This is your dream, after all, and he’s somehow in it.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m a friend! Blank, right?” At your cautious nod, the stranger smiles encouragingly. “TK has told me so much about you. I’m Dream, Guardian of Positivity, and I’m going to do my best to bring you back home.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Dream. They sent Dream to save us. And here I thought escape was a lost cause.**


	23. Idleness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn that Nightmare isn't, in fact, an octopus. He's a tree.
> 
> Also, you're grounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Knowing you, you're going to mess this up, so I'll spare you the nagging. We're never going to get out of here, are we?**

Dream waits patiently for you to respond. His golden eyelights shines with expectation as you try to form the right signs. You have so many thoughts running through your mind and so many questions.

“It’s okay.” The whirlwind in your mind eases almost instantly at Dream’s comforting words. “I know you’re confused, but you’re not alone anymore. Like I told you, I’m going to everything in my power to save you from my brother.”

_Brother?_

Dream blinks at the question you signed, briefly caught off guard for some reason. “Um, yes? Nightmare?”

Oh. You didn’t know Nightmare has a brother. He never mentioned him.

You try to look for any similarities between your Boss and the Guardian of Positivity in front of you. Aside from being skeletons, you can’t really see a familial resemblance, which isn’t saying much considering the sheer number of skeleton monsters you have already encountered. Doubt fills you as you look over Dream again.

…Where are his fins? You don’t…you don’t _think_ he has any gills either. Maybe they might be hidden under his clothes and cape?

Dream balks when you ask him this. “Wha –? I don’t – why in the world would I have _fins?!”_

_Isn’t Nightmare an octopus mermaid? M-E-R-S-K-E-L-E-T-O-N?_

“…PffffthaHAHAHA!” Dream drops down onto the grass beside you and cries with laughter. You’re almost concerned since it looks a bit painful with how hard his bones are rattling. But he…looks happier? Thrilled, really. He does this for a while before he manages to recover and climb back onto his feet. Still giggling, Dream tries to clarify the situation to you. “No, no, my brother and I aren’t merskeletons, but I can understand where you got the idea. Ah,” he wipes away a tear, “I haven’t laughed this hard for a while. Thank you, Blank.”

_You're welcome._ Then, you add, _thank you for coming all the way here for me, but I think I will stay._

Dream’s expression sobers up at your signed words, humor melting into concern.

“Stay? Blank, did Nightmare…threaten you?” Distress begins to creep into the soft voice. It sounds so wrong and discordant coming out of Dream’s mouth for some reason. “Is he doing something that’s making it hard for you to leave? Please, tell me! I can help you!”

You shake your head. Aside from his threat to let Killer hurt TK during your first meeting, Nightmare hadn’t actually done anything terrible else aside from kidnapping you and hiring you without your consent. Of course, there’s always been that looming, unspoken warning that things could get worse if you ever crossed the line, but you’ve never seen it yet. Nightmare has actually been very generous during your stay.

But it’s difficult to express all of that in a single motion, so Dream takes it as a refusal to talk about what happened out of fear.

“Please, Blank, let me help you,” Dream pleads earnestly. You feel a prick of guilt for making him worry for you when there really isn’t anything to worry about. Before you can clear up the misunderstanding, Dream’s golden eyelights contracts into tiny pinpricks as he turns his face upwards to something you can’t sense or see.

“Oh no, it’s –

You’re suddenly yanked awake. Nightmare is looming over you with a thunderous expression on his face. This…this isn’t good.

“I hope you had a good _dream_ , Blank.”

* * *

Nightmare interrogates you. The process wasn’t pleasant. No matter how many times you tried to explain the events, Nightmare either didn’t believe you or was too upset to even care _how_ it happened.

Later, when Horror is doing his best to speed up your body’s healing and Dust is clearing away the mess Nightmare had rendered your room into before storming off, you’re told of how much Nightmare despised his brother and his meddling. Him and the rest of the Star Sanses.

“You didn’t know since we never brought ‘em up around you,” Horror says assuringly, “when boss calms down, he’ll realize that too.”

Dust tosses crumpled flowers and vase shards into the trash. You feel a twinge of sadness at the colors disappearing out of sight. “Horror and I’ll get you more,” Dust promises as he starts picking up the torn pieces of a stuffed animal, “they were shriveling up anyways.”

The flowers were healthy and vibrant and beautiful.

But you pretend that they weren’t like Dust said and nod.

* * *

You’re surprised to see Dream again after you close your eyes. Your surroundings are exactly the same aside from the increase of clouds in the sky. The Guardian of Positivity rushes over to you and fusses over your wounds. They are already getting better but Dream only seems concerned that you got them in the first place.

“I wish that I can heal you, but I can’t use any positivity magic without notifying Nightmare that I’m still here.”

_Why stay?_ You sign unsteadily before tacking on _positivity magic?_

“Of course, I’m staying with you.” Dream looks aghast at the very idea of leaving you behind, which is strange since he’s practically a stranger to you. “I told you, didn’t I? I will do everything in my power to get you back home. No one deserves to be left behind. Especially in a situation this scary.” Then, he fiddles with a staff that you didn’t notice was in his hands until now. “And positivity magic is the magic I use. It’s one of the only defenses against my brother’s negativity magic.”

Negativity magic?

As if responding to your inner confusion, Dream nods and expands on his explanation. “That’s right. You thought Nightmare was from a mermaid AU, didn’t you?”

You cringe with embarrassment at your ignorance. You feel as if Nightmare’s identity is a well-known fact to everyone except you. Ever kind, Dream is quick to assure you that your mistake isn’t your fault.

“Nightmare and I…we didn’t come from a traditional AU. We may resemble a Sans, but we never held that name. Our names have always been our names ever since our creation. We were created by the original guardian of the Tree of Feelings so we could protect it in her place. I came from the tree’s positive energy while Nightmare came from its negative. That’s how I’m able to inspire positive feelings and visit people’s dreams.”

Dream laughs nervously.

“Our origins aren’t exactly well-known or acknowledged in the Multiverse. It’s a little too confusing to remember. That, and,” Dream pouts, “everyone thinks I’m a kid, so they don’t believe me when I tell them that I’m over 500 years old.”

**(…Appearances are very deceiving. Just a day ago, you were under the impression that Nightmare was part-octopus. Now, you have come to the discovery that your boss is actually part-tree instead.)**

“Things happened,” Dream avoids your eyes, “and Nightmare became who he is now. A being who seeks for power through the despair and anguish of others.”

Dream sounds as if he’s reading from a script or repeating something said by someone else word-by-word. There isn’t any conviction behind those words, and you wonder what he’s not saying.

“But!” Dream brightens. “The Multiverse isn’t without its hopes or dreams. My friends and I will not stop fighting to keep it safe against whatever Nightmare has in store for it!”

_I-N-K and B-L-U-E_ , you dutifully sign, remembering TK’s stories. _Star S-A-N-S-E-S._

Dream laughs. “That’s right! So, you _have_ heard of us!”

_TK_ , you use as an explanation. You haven’t seen your friend in a long time. You wonder if he’s doing okay. You know he’s alive, at least, but how _is_ he?

Dream smiles sympathetically. “You miss him, don’t you? TK does too. He’s worried sick.”

You freeze. This is the second time Dream responded to your unasked question. A worrying thought begins to cross your mind and you’re signing your question before you know it.

_Can you read my mind?_

“Of course not! That’s silly!” Dream says, making you relax. “I read your _emotions_. That’s where I draw my powers from, so it’s only natural. Nightmare can do it too!”

**(Oh, look. There goes the last strips of your sense of security and control. You spend the rest of your time trying to regain _some_ control back by grilling Dream about more information concerning what Nightmare could and has done to you.)**

* * *

When you wake up, you see Nightmare again. This time, he doesn’t loom or seethe. He’s calmer now, which seems _worse_ since that meant that he has something planned. You’ve seen enough of his angry outbursts towards everyone else to know the pattern.

You’re wary and a little nervous. When Nightmare begins to smile, you remember what Dream had told you and realize that he _knows_. He knows what you’re feeling. He always has.

“I have been lenient with you,” Nightmare informs you, “which was why my brother was able to slip into _my_ domain through your inconsequential, little head. I will not make the same mistake again.”

Before you can ask him what he meant, Nightmare snatches you from your bed and drags you into the darkness under your bed. He’s transporting you somewhere through the darkness. The heaviness of the negativity around you makes you squirm, but Nightmare keeps his grip on you tight.

When you both finally surface, your body automatically locks up.

This new room is smaller than your other one. It’s bare and without any windows. No furniture. Every wall is padded – even the floor. But the characteristic of it that makes your blood run cold is the complete _lack of color._ From the bottom up, everything is white.

You turn to Nightmare, disbelief heavy on your chest. You don’t pretend that he doesn’t sense or taste your growing panic and fear. He knows. This is why he’s doing this. He _knows_.

As if he isn’t just reenacting your worst memory, Nightmare makes his way over to the door. You want to follow him. You want to stop him from doing what you _know_ he’s planning to do. But you’re stuck. You don’t know why, but your feet can’t move. But you can see. You can watch as Nightmare, slow and confident, steps outside of your ~~new room~~ prison cell.

“I hope that you continue to behave, Blank. Be a _good kid_ and _wait here_ for me, will you?” For a brief moment, you wish for a knife. But that anger is quickly sapped away **(by Nightmare)** and replaced by the cold, numb feeling of hopelessness. There is nothing you can do. So why try?

Nightmare’s grin stretches wide. And then,

He

closes

the

door.

* * *

You think you screamed. Or, tried to. It’s hard to say or express anything without a voice, not that there would be anyone to hear you. The walls are padded in a way that everything is mind-numbingly silent even as you claw and slam your fist at the closed door. Once the heavy weight of despair left you, the anger returned, and you tried to use it to break out of your prison.

But, aside from making some tears on the padding and leaving behind orange, yellow, and purple colored bloodstains from your fingers, your hands can do nothing. There are barely any purchases. No keyhole. No knob. You’re stuck.

Eventually, the fire in you burns out. Since everything is timeless where you are, you don’t know when exactly you give up. You just know that you eventually do. You crumple down onto the floor and weep until you pass out into a dreamless sleep.

When you wake, you find something placed in the middle of the room.

Upon closer inspection, you realize it’s a blanket. It’s big and soft and _has a star pattern printed onto it._ With a pang, you recognize what Nightmare is trying to emulate with this single piece of fabric. You have half the mind to rip it up and throw it into a corner.

But it’s the first piece of color you’ve seen in a long while.

Resigned, you swallow your pride and wrap the blanket around yourself. You pretend that you’re under a night sky and not trapped in a padded room. The stains of cyan and green mottling the padded floor where you had cried yourself to sleep helps with the illusion.

You wait.

* * *

No one visits.

Aside from the appearance of monster food and Nightmare’s little ‘gifts’, your time in your room is lonely. You spend most of your time sleeping, huddled under the blanket to block out the rest of the world. **(Maybe you should’ve spent more time looking for ways to reconnect with Dream. Find ways to be more positive.)** But what was the _point?_

It’s hopeless anyways.

**(But surely, there is something that you miss that can muster you to _try_.)**

You miss Horror’s food. You miss Dust’s surprise visits and gifts. You miss Killer’s jokes. Ever since Nightmare brought you here, you haven’t seen them. You’re not even sure if they know you’re here.

You miss them.

But at the same time, you don’t want to see them. You’re afraid that everything they’ve done for you – the friendship, the kind gestures – were all a lie. A ruse to find your scars and weaknesses so Nightmare can exploit them. Already, so many of Nightmare’s games are centering around events you had drawn out in the pages you had given to Dust. You almost certain that Nightmare got his hands on them. But did he take them forcefully or were the pages handed over the second they left your room? You hate feeling so much doubt, but how can you not?

Geno already did the same thing once before.

* * *

Today, you find something new in the room. It’s a book. _‘Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny’_ the cover reads. You don’t touch it like you don’t touch all the other gifts that Nightmare leaves behind. Only the blanket remains.

But, unlike the brief spark of pain at the sight of something so familiar and connected to your past, you can’t help but feel comforted by the memory.

* * *

You’re back on the hill under the tree. The entire sky is dark and roiling with the potential of a storm. You focus onto Dream, who’s standing at the foot of the hill. He looks exhausted. The bright, golden glow that he seemed to constantly emit is now alarmingly dim. If skeletons could have bags under their eye sockets, he’d have them.

How long – how long has he been trying to reach you?

“Blank,” he calls out with relief. He stumbles.

You stand up and jog over to Dream’s side. You help him up and he offers you a wobbling smile in return. Despite not knowing the guardian for so long, the sight of him being just a step close to being devastated feels so _wrong_. You sense that this is more than exhaustion. Something has happened.

Even at the point of exhaustion, Dream can read your emotions like a book.

“Being in a place filled with so much negative emotion can be a little like poison if I stay near it for too long. And especially if Nightmare weaponizes it against me.” He explains with a rueful smile. “And my brother loves to weaponize things against me.”

_Nightmare knows you’re here?_

Much to your relief, Dream shakes his head. “It’s only a deterrent to prevent me from coming back.”

_But you did. You stayed._

“Of course, I did. You are still here. And I said I wouldn’t leave you alone,” Dream tells you as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. And even though you know that his actions were naïve and almost foolish, you feel your throat grow heavy and your eyes water.

**(You were waiting for so long for someone to come. It’s not the right person, but…)**

_Thank you._

Your sincerity seems to move Dream in turn.

The sounds of shouting break the heartfelt moment. You suddenly find yourself surrounded by transparent humans and monsters alike. They’re holding torches and pitchforks. They’re all angry and scared. You have no idea where it all came from, but a haunted expression crosses Dream’s face. “Oh no. It’s happening again.”

You look up at the tree at the top of the hill. It’s shriveled up now. The only thing hanging at its branches are black apples. Almost instinctively, you know that half of them were supposed to be golden like Dream’s eyes. At the foot of the tree stands a younger Dream.

Except, with a closer look, he’s not. His crown is different and the clothes he’s wearing are purple. With a start, you realize that this is _Nightmare_. In his hand is one of the black apples. He’s scared, you realize. He’s so, so scared and small and _alone_. But the angry crowd doesn’t seem to care about any of that.

“Night,” Dream calls out brokenly from beside you, “Brother.”

You see Nightmare take a bite out of the apple. The effects are instantaneous. Dark goop runs down from his mouth and his left eye socket, making him drop the apple to cover it in vain. Tentacles – no, _roots_ begin to sprout from the young skeleton’s back making him arch and shout in pain.

“Dream!” He screams desperately. “DREAM!”

“I failed him.” Dream looks distraught as he watches the darkness slowly consume his brother all over again. “Night was all alone when it happened. He didn’t mean to do anything wrong. I know that. I know my brother. He was kind and thoughtful and he always took care of me. He just wanted to show the villagers that he could protect the positive apples too. He didn’t –” He chokes. “ _We_ didn’t mean for things to end up this way.”

Dream places a hand over his chest. Something golden shines in his chest. It’s in the shape of an apple.

“I couldn’t get to him in time. I was too late. I should’ve – I should’ve _stayed_ with him.”

Right then and there, the illusion stops, but Dream is still there. He’s still staring at the spot where his brother had been standing. Wordlessly, you help him up the hill and over to the tree, which turned back to normal. Both of you sit under its leaves and pretend that Dream isn’t sobbing into his hands.

* * *

“…Blank? I think you dropped something.”

You tilt your head and turn to Dream just in time to see him reaching over for something in the grass. It’s black and – oh. The clocket. Out of all times, it chooses now to fall out of your pocket.

But then, Dream touches it and –

Well, the explosion and lights you expected when you used the clocklocks? That happens.

* * *

Somehow, Dream had sent you back. Back to the endless white. Back under the galaxy patterned blanket – the right one this time. And, judging by your smaller hands, back to being Frisk. You turn to the door with a sense of helplessness. What was the point, really? You left the first time because of Geno. Now, what really is your purpose of opening that door. There is nothing for you out there.

It’s better for you to stay here. You bury yourself further into the blanket and will yourself to disappear faster.

But then, you hear a knock.

You think you’re imagining it at first, but then, the knock sounds again. It sounds more urgent this time. Tentatively, you stand up and wander over to the door. Your hand overs uncertainly over the knob. The next set of knocking finally convinces you to open the door.

And there’s Geno at the other side.

There is blind panic in his expression and he looks ready to blast the door down with a blaster. But when his eyelight lands on you, he _sags_ with relief while clutching onto his scarf like a lifeline. “kid, don’t _scare_ me like that. i thought –

***…Geno?**

Geno hears the disbelief in your voice, and he looks you over again. He seems to see something that that makes his eyelights shrink into pinpricks. “how long was it for you in there?”

***Forever, you tell him, you waited for him forever.**

Geno looks heartbroken. “i’m sorry, kid. i’m sorry it took so long for you.”

***You tell him he never came. So, you looked for him only to find that he’s happy without you.**

Geno’s grief seems to multiply at your words. “that’s…one heck of a nightmare, kiddo can’t really blame ya for doubting with how long it was for you at the other side.” Then, his expression softens. “let’s get you out of there.”

You flounder.

“i’m here,” Geno calls out comfortingly and holds out his hand, “it’s okay now. i’m here. i won’t leave you alone like that ever again.” He remains ever patient. “let’s go home, frisk.”

You let down all your reservations at his words and throw yourself into Geno’s arms. It was a dream. It’s was all just a really bad dream. Geno came back for you. _Geno came back._ And both of you are finally going home.

Home.

* * *

You open your eyes to an empty room with your arm stretched out for something that isn’t there. You let it fall limp as you stare at the padded door in front of you.

You feel cold.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **What a beautiful dream.**


	24. Inflexibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You pick up the pieces and decide to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **It's time to stop moping and get a move on. Nothing can be achieved if you cling onto that negative mindset.**

“Blank?”

You’re sitting under the tree again. Dream is right beside you, wringing his hands guiltily as he looks from the spot where you had dropped the clocket and back to you. You don’t look at him. Not out of anger or blame, but because you’re focused on the object in your hands. It certainly _looks_ like ~~your~~ the Save Screen’s clocket, but it’s not. Apparently, it’s a representation of your deepest conflict made into form within this dreamscape. Dream touching it had unintentionally turned it into a very realistic dream.

“I’m sorry,” Dream apologizes once again, “you…I shouldn’t have been so careless. I let myself get distracted and, because of that, I made a mistake that hurt you.”

_I forgive you. It was a nice dream._

“Blank. You don’t have to lie.”

_It was,_ you insist, _the only bad part was waking up._

“I’m sorry,” Dream apologizes again.

_Stop apologizing._

Dream covers his mouth before another instinctual apology spills out. It’s an endearing action that would have made you laugh…if you could, that is. Instead, you do your best to send that small feeling over to Dream. When you see him brighten, you can tell that you are successful.

* * *

You stare at Nightmare’s recent ‘gift’. It’s a bunch of jars full of snow. Or, they were. Now, they’re only jars full of water. Either your ex(?) boss is becoming very lazy with his mental warfare or you are beginning to stop relating every single thing to Geno. You hope it’s the latter. You’re getting tired of your flip flopping between anger and sadness.

~~You just want to forget Geno forever and be done with it.~~

But back on the subject: the jars of water.

You pick one of them up and look at it consideringly. It’s nothing special, but it gives you an idea. Your eyes wander over to the faint, cyan stain where you had cried many times to sleep and the desperate, yellow gashes you had scratched onto the padded door. You see how your colors remain sunken into the fabric, marring the whiteness.

You can do something, you realize. You can gather your colors into the jars and use them to create again like you used to with your notebooks. It’s not as significant as getting out, but it’s something.

Crying is not something you can do at will. You don’t think that’s how the colors work. You need an intense feeling to produce your tears. But there is an alternative. You look down at your fingers. They had long since healed over. Your vessel is quick and strange like that. It’s a little matter to reopen those wounds to produce enough color to fill the jars.

You have teeth, don’t you?

* * *

Dream appears more often than not whenever you close your eyes. He tells you it’s because of the steady increase of your positive emotions. He’s more than thrilled to hear that you actively took up painting to counter your boredom and Nightmare-induced depression.

**(Of course, Dream is unaware of your current position since you don’t explain yourself. It’s better that way. At least he doesn’t ask you where you got your colors.)**

In order to encourage more positivity, Dream chatters about ideas for what to draw.

**(You are already considering trying to create a bouquet similar to the one Crop and Sprout had gifted you. It won’t be perfect, but you want something pretty to look at instead of an empty wall.)**

Eventually, his topic leans more towards his friends and teammates, Ink and Blue.

“Blue would like you,” Dream tells you, “he’s always so eager to make new friends and help. I’ve heard what you’ve done with TK and I think both of you would get along swimmingly with your shared sense of justice.”

**(Interest piqued, you ask about his other friend – Ink.)**

“Oh, Ink? He’s wonderful!” Dream gushes, suddenly animated as he speaks about his other friend. “He cares so much about all the AUs. I might be trying to protect everyone’s positive feelings, but Ink wants to preserve all alternate universes – no matter _what_ they are. Honestly, he’s more invested than all three of us because of how connected he is to creativity and creation.”

You nod along, interested at how differently Dream is speaking about Ink compared to Core and TK. This Ink is curious and adventurous. This Ink is someone who would throw himself headfirst into dangerous situations to get the job done. His forgetfulness is only brought up as an afterthought, an endearing flaw that enhances his better parts. You listen as he recounts the adventures and shenanigans he and Blue got pulled into because of their excitable and eager friend.

_Ink sounds interesting._

“He’ll think the same about you too,” Dream informs you with a giggle, “Ink is always like that: interested in everything fascinating that falls into his path!”

* * *

You do your best to recreate Horror, Dust, and Killer with what you have.

Since dark blue, black and red aren’t options, you decide to be creative. You paint Killer in orange and yellow, putting extra care with his knife. With Dust, you give him your deepest purple. Horror, for obvious reasons, has your green and cyan.

When you’re finished with them, you feel a spike of satisfaction at the results before it sputters out in favor of your longing to see them again. You hope with all your shaky, tiny soul that you will be able to see them again. But for now, you wait for the colors to dry and for the stinging of your fingers to fade.

* * *

You tell Dream about Geno.

It isn’t easy. You are tempted at many points to stop and never broach the subject ever again. You know Dream won’t begrudge you if you ever did any of those things. But this isn’t for Dream. This is for you.

You tell Dream about what Geno gave you and what he left you with. You tell him about his acts of kindness and how it all turned out to be manipulations. You tell him how you dreamed of finding a home only to find that you had turned your back on six others for a lie.

Instead of the poisonous anger you had expected to feel, you now only feel…resignation. Maybe a little bit of sadness. Your descriptions cling onto Geno’s kinder moments back in a time you were _certain_ you were loved. You miss that. You hate thinking like that but…you miss feeling so unbearably happy and cared for.

“You’re a very kind soul, Blank,” Dream murmurs when you’re done, and you have nothing left to sign. His eyelights are compassionate and understanding as he draws you close into a hug. Even though he doesn’t say anything more than that, you can tell that Dream understands.

And, for the first time ever since you found the clocket, you start to understand that it’s time to start letting go.

* * *

As if to taunt your resolution, Nightmare chooses to leave behind a torn, red scarf this time.

You rebel against that by devoting an entire wall to creating Geno. Not because you plan to make him big enough to fill the entire space, but to make a point. A part of you that is still angry wants Geno to be stuck in the blankness like you were. So that’s how you paint him: alone. You paint him with a mix of brilliant colors that he does not deserve but leave out his scarf. This way, you think, he won’t be able to lie behind it anymore.

You leave the red scarf at his feet as both a consolation and a _screw you_.

* * *

Sometimes, Dream would speak about the past whenever he isn’t talking about his friends and their adventures.

It’s not often as recalling about lost, happy moments always ended with Dream’s light dimming, but he would mention some things from time to time.

“Even though we were born as twins, Night always acted as the big brother. He would look out for me and take care of me.”

“Night loved to read. He would spend all day burying himself into books. Whenever it was my turn to go out to the village, he would stay under the Tree of Feelings and finish an entire pile by the time I got back.”

“My brother had the idea to make a banner for our tree to make it look nicer. He was so thoughtful and clever. I wear it as a cape with me always to remind myself of that.”

But then, Dream would sometimes fall down the slope of ‘what ifs’ and self-blame.

“I knew something was wrong. Night became more and more withdrawn and he’d hide things from me no matter how many times I asked. I should’ve pushed more. Maybe then, I would’ve been able to help him before it was too late.”

_It’s not your fault_ , you tell him during these moments, _and you’re still doing your best._

“Thank you, Blank…”

_What about a happier story?_

* * *

You draw Dream and his brother this time. You draw them under a tree. You make sure to paint the positive apples above Nightmare and the negative ones above Dream. It’s only fair to balance them out that way.

Personally, you think you did a great job on the banner wrapped around the trunk. It’s a pity that Dream can’t look. You would’ve liked to share it with him.

* * *

“What is **this**?”

For the first time ever since he left you here, Nightmare appears in your padded cell. He doesn’t seem surprised by the jars full of color or the red scarf discarded onto the floor. No, what has gained his ire and affront is the mural of the Tree of Emotions you had worked painstakingly on.

“I see that Dream has been telling you stories,” Nightmare says bitterly. His tentacles – roots? – writhe behind him in an obvious show of agitation. “I’m sure that he told you his own, skewed version of the past.”

_Happy,_ you insist.

“No. Not happy,” Nightmare snaps at you.

You gesture to the image of the twins under the tree. _Dream misses you._

**“No!”** Nightmare lashes out and slashes across the mural, beheading his own image. “What Dream misses is that weakling who _let_ himself go through years of broken bones and cracked skulls just so his little brother wouldn’t _worry_. So Dream would continue to be _happy_ about a _lie_. Those villagers were parasites who only knew how to take. They took advantage of Dream’s helpfulness for their own comfort and gain. They took advantage of my weakness to let out their frustration. _They tried to take our apples._ I never should have let them get that far!” He stops. Takes a breath. “I didn’t let them get that far.”

It’s like two different books are being written out in front of you. And yet, when overlapped, they fit in a skewed sort of way. Two different perspectives on the same event. Both stories have holes that the other fills.

Does Dream know about this?

“In this world, the cruelest will never show mercy to the weak. They will use you, eat you, and throw you away. I learned that the only way to survive is to strike them down before they can hurt you again.” Nightmare takes you roughly by the shoulders. “How fortunate of you, Blank. I will be offering you the same opportunity.”

And then, you are once again pulled into darkness.

* * *

In one moment, you are in a padded cell. In the next, you’re outside. You’re nearly dizzy at how overwhelmed you feel at your sudden freedom. You’re at the Surface of some AU. You’re not sure which one. It’s night and the stars are out. It’s all so beautiful. But that isn’t enough to cushion the horror when you see who’s bound up in front of you.

_Geno._

Nightmare comes up behind you and slips you a knife.

“Kill him, Blank,” he murmurs into your ear, “make him feel the pain you felt. Make it so he will never hurt you again.”

You can feel anger growing hotter and hotter in your chest, but you know that it is not your own. Nightmare is fueling it. He’s pushing you forward until you’re right in front of the bound skeleton. There is genuine fear in his visible eyelight as he strains against his bounds and his gag.

**(You feel sick. This isn’t you.)**

You force yourself lower the knife despite the negative feelings heavy in your chest and shake your head. _No. I refuse._

It’s as if a spell breaks. Instead of Geno, a different Sans takes his place. He’s from Underswap – the furthest thing from Geno.

You’ve been tricked.

With a quick slash, you cut the hapless skeleton from his bindings and push him out of the way as Nightmare smacks you into the ground. Your chest hurts and you cough out blood, but you are proud of its color: blue. You’ve kept true to your beliefs. You brace yourself for Nightmare’s next attack only for him to be flung off of you by a…hammer?

The once bound-up Blue draws back his weapon. “Friend! Are you all right?”

You sign an affirmative while climbing back onto your feet. You catch sight of a star symbol on your new ally’s shoulder plates, making you blink. No, it can’t be…

A flash of light distracts you from your revelation. Dream steps into view. He’s turned his staff into a bow, and he has the arrow drawn back in preparation to drive Nightmare away. “Blue! I’m here!”

“Dream!” Your companion calls out with enough familiarity to confirm your suspicions. This Sans isn’t just a Blue. He’s _the_ Blue of the Star Sanses. And Nightmare tried to make you kill him. “I have a civilian with me! We need to retreat!”

Dream recognizes you the moment his eyelights land on you. _“Blank?!”_

You wave hello.

He recovers quickly. “We need to get you out of here.”

**“Dream.”**

Nightmare is at his feet and seething at the sight of his brother. But then, he sees you and changes his mind. Dreams sees his intentions but is too late to pin him down with one of his arrows. Within a blink, Nightmare somehow got around Blue’s defense and is reaching for you.

But, by then, what he grabs is only air. The ground where you stood has a golden portal where Dream had warped you away. You are already gone.

* * *

When Dream’s last-second portal spits you out, you never reach the ground.

Instead, you float. For one, horrifying second, you think that Dream might have accidentally shot you out into Outertale. But then, you notice that your surroundings are more of a soft, golden color instead of the endless, star-speckled darkness.

No matter where you turn, you see floating pieces of paper everywhere. You see flashes of symbols, colors, and images when you try to look closer, but you don’t know what they mean. For a moment, you are reminded of the Timeverse.

That’s right. TK _did_ mention a place like this, didn’t he?

**(The Doodlesphere.)**

The doorway to all AUs. A place that belonged to the one and only Guardian of Creativity, Ink.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Out of all the places to end up, you've managed to reach the Doodlesphere. No, no, don't misunderstand me. This is a good thing. A very good thing. It's one of the safest places to be until the Guardian of the AUs himself comes to help you. Well done! We made it. We finally made it.**


	25. Spite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have reached the Doodlesphere but Ink isn't there. Instead, you meet someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Now, we wait for Ink. Thank you, once again, for everything that you've done. Truly, you have held up your side of the bargain despite the unfortunate side-effect of forgetting your mission. That's fine. I'll enlighten you as we wait. You agreed to**
> 
> **{ERROR}**
> 
> **What? I...I don't - I don't feel so good. What's...happening? What's**
> 
> **{ERROR ERROR ERROR}**

You explore.

There are so many AUs in the Doodlesphere. A sense of wonder washes over you as you look around yourself. You have a feeling that what you’re seeing is only a mere _fraction_ that is the expanse of the Multiverse. You wish that you can see and visit even more places. You want to learn everything that there is to know.

…What’s stopping you?

Not Nightmare, not anymore. And certainly not Geno. You have the entire multiverse spread in front of you to explore and maybe even help. Maybe you can return to the Timeverse and continue your partnership with TK.

Yes! There are so many possibilities! You have decided that you will pursue all of it!

Right after Ink appears and gets you out.

But, since the Artist isn’t here, you continue your exploration. A single piece of paper catches your attention. You ‘swim’ down to its level, curious at its different color. The page is light purple and almost has a glow to it compared to its many other counterparts. On it, is a simple but noticeable ‘X’.

You reach out for the paper. When you touch it, the oddest feeling engulfs you before the page pulls you right in. You’re falling through.

* * *

You nearly crash into someone with your impromptu entrance. When you recover from the stumble, you come face-to-face with a Sans decked in an intricate black and white uniform. Even though he buries himself under his fur-lined hood, this Sans is nowhere close to being timid or weak. His stance is battle-ready. He’s understandably wary and cautious of you, but in a way that you’ve never seen aimed at you. He’s acting as if you’re a genocidal child ready to stab him dead.

Which is completely unfair since you have no weapon.

You raise your hands up in a universal gesture of surrender. When the Sans sees your relaxed stance and the lack of weapons, he relaxes a little, regarding you more with curiosity than fear.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

_I am Blank. I came here by accident. I’m sorry for nearly hurting you,_ you sign quickly, hoping to clear up any misunderstandings.

“I…um, I’m sorry. I don’t…I don’t understand.”

You see. Well, this is going to be a problem.

After a moment of consideration, you put your pointer finger into your mouth and bite it. Even though the Sans across from you bristles at the sound of your teeth breaking skin, you barely flinch at the sting. It’s a familiar feeling by now after all.

With quick, steady strokes, you write out a message.

_My name is Blank. What is your name?_

“…name’s Cross,” he tentatively offers. “What are you doing here?”

_I am lost. I was sent here to be protected. By the Guardian of the AUs?_ At his blank expression, you decide to elaborate. _Ink?_

“Ink?” Recognition brightens across Cross’ face. Then, his expression becomes apologetic. “Sorry, you missed him. Ink comes to visit from time to time, though, so you’ll be able to catch him the next time he visits. You can…sit with me and wait?”

The suggestion is kind for someone who’s cautious. But by then, you realize where you are.

This place isn’t an AU like you had assumed. It’s completely empty. Cross and you are the only ones in here. It’s…it’s… _(wait for me, kiddo)_ …you…you can’t…you –

“Um, are you okay?”

Cross is standing over you with concern written all over his face. You have absolutely no idea how you ended up on the ground, but you have no plans on getting back up. You keep your eyes trained onto the ground with your scribbled messages as he continues to prod you for a response. Eventually, you do.

_I don’t like white. Nothing there. Scary._ You write.

“…You too, huh?”

Cross looks at you with a look of complete understanding that shakes you to the core. You’ve had many who sympathized with you for your fear or even took advantage of it, but this is the first time you’ve had someone understand. Really _understand._

“Do you like painting, Blank? It helps passes the time.” Cross rummages into his inventory before withdrawing with some items. “Here, I have some paper and paint right over here. You don’t have to do” he shudders at your bloody finger “that.”

You can’t smile, but you think Cross understands when you accept his offerings.

* * *

“So you don’t have an AU?”

_If I did, I do not remember. I woke up in a place not unlike yours._

“My AU is like this because it’s gone…for now. I’m going to bring it back. Somehow.”

_Good luck. I hope you’re successful._

“Thanks, Blank. Oh! Those flowers you drew look great!”

* * *

Someone comes. But it isn’t Ink.

“Well, well, **well** ,” a voice glitches, “I was wondering what that insufferable rainbow asshole was hiding from me.”

You and Cross are stringed up and unable to move. It all happened so fast. You struggle like a fly caught in a spider’s web with no avail.

The Sans who walks into view isn’t bigger than any of the others you had encountered by any margin. And yet, you feel a sense of dread when he comes into your sight. The heaviness you feel in your soul is _nothing_ like the feelings Nightmare made you feel. This Sans is in another level and you’re beginning to know exactly _why_. What other Sans is covered in ERROR glitches and uses blue strings as his choice weapon?

The Destroyer, that’s who.

“If you ever cross paths with Error, you run. Nothing else matters, Blank. If he ever catches you with his strings, you’re toast,” TK had warned you. It’s too late to heed his warnings now.

The Destroyer’s laughter is a terrible thing. It scratches and skips like a broken record or a malfunctioning computer. He’s amused by how you and Cross tremble and struggle against what he views as inevitable. From the stories you hear, he despises all creation and ‘anomalies’, so it makes sense that he is relishing your fear.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, which abomination gets to go?” The glitch’s attention suddenly zeroes onto you. _“You.”_

_I’ve never seen a skeleton monster with different-colored bones before,_ you think hysterically as the Destroyer himself twitches his yellow-red phalanges to draw you closer. You feel the strings around your soul give a tug. Your breaths begin to come out short as you feel yourself beginning to disengage from your Vessel form.

“Heh. Don’t worry. **I’ll make this quick.** ”

You’re going to die. You’re going to die. You’re going to die.

“BLANK!” You hear Cross shout distantly as your soul tries to struggle against the strings. You feel it beginning to crack as it resists. Finally, with a harsh _tug_ , your soul pops free and the Vessel falls limp into the strings. Just like that, the culmination of your very being is laid bare and vulnerable under the eyes of the Destroyer.

You’re going to die. It’s going to be over. Everything you’ve done, it would’ve all been for nothing.

…

No.

No, you can’t stop here. Not when people like Geno and Nightmare are able to hurt you and continue to live out their lives happily without any consequence while _you_ have to suffer this kind of fate just when you want something more of your life. And in the hands of someone as miserable and hateful as the creature in front of you? They’re all the same. Geno, Nightmare, Error, _they are all the same._

You refuse to die here. You Refuse.

You are filled with **S P I T E.**

Error, who had been hesitating this entire time for some unknown reason, lets out a yelp as your soul flashes with a hot, angry **red**. It nearly consumes all the other colors as it _burns_ away the strings holding it. It takes everything in you to make that happen.

And then, your soul is falling.

You know for certain that it will break once it reaches the ground. It’s too cracked and weak to Continue. It would take a miracle to survive this. You already feel your consciousness fading.

Your last memory is the feeling of hands tenderly cradling you and the sound of wings flapping.

* * *

**End of Act IV: Bad Apples**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **{REBOOTING..}**
> 
> **{Author installed. Welcome back, century_berry.}**
> 
> Look at this mess. I can't stick with what I had planned at this point. I guess the only path to take is forward. I have a lot of work to do to make sense of the shambles this fic has turned into.
> 
> Oh, and Narrator?
> 
> _You and I need to talk about what to do with you._


	26. But it Refused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're not dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I apologize for the wait, but I needed time to look over the damage. It's...a lot. It's a lot. The Narrator has no idea what he's done with what he's pulled. There's a reason why I decided to limit this tour to only six AUs outside of the main Undertale/Aftertale timeline. Everything outside of that is so fragile and complex and messy. But what's done is done and now, the tour must go on.
> 
> For this to work, I'm going to have to request a small favor from all of you. I need you to lend me something.
> 
> Your name.
> 
> Now, hear me out. I know that all of you are more familiar with distancing yourselves from the events and conflicts by using Frisk and Blank. What they're feeling, what they're doing are all on them while all of you are spectators watching all of this from a safe distance. That won't work from here on out. The Vessel is gone. Destroyed, most likely by Error's hands. Blank cannot keep their name. Blank does not have the ability to make the changes that all of you are able to make. There's a reason why the Narrator attempted to recruit all of you. You have power.
> 
> So that is why, I humbly request this: for you to offer a piece of yourself and to truly take the mantle of the main character. I understand if you do not wish to do this.
> 
> ...
> 
> The fact that you are still here tells me that you accept. Thank you. I promise that I will do my best to properly lead you through the remainder of this tour.
> 
> But first, before we officially move forward, a wrong needs to be righted.

When you wake, you are blind, deaf, and breathless. You are stuck in a closed space with no air – only a strange fluid that makes your lungs _burn_. You claw at your surroundings and find that your prison easily gives way under your fingertips. Before you know it, you’re tumbling out of your cocoon and onto something soft – wait.

You recognize this smell. You had fallen face-first into this smell too many times to not know it by heart.

Golden flowers.

All at once, relief hits you. You’re not dead. **You’re not dead**. Somehow, you managed to stay alive despite all the odds stacked against you. It’s a miracle. You’re _alive_.

And then, all that relief is dashed away when your lungs decide that it’s waited long enough for its air. You cough up the unknown fluid before taking in your first, wheezing breaths. The air is fresh, and you can hear distant birdcalls. _The Surface,_ you conclude, _but which one?_

A blanket is draped onto your shoulders. You freeze. You are not alone.

“Hey,” you hear someone say gently, “welcome back to the land of the living. You’ve been asleep for a while.” As if sensing your wariness and fear, the stranger is quick to soothe you. “You’re fine. You’re okay now. What do you last remember?”

It takes a little bit of fumbling, but you somehow manage to make your fingers form the right signs.

_Destroyer. Strings. Soul._

“Yeah, that sounds ‘bout right.”

_Body gone. Vessel gone._

“Sorry. Your body – Vessel? – was already destroyed by Error by the time I got there. You were already at _death’s_ fingertips _,_ so I had to get you outta there before your soul shattered. Permanently.”

_Where?_

“Life’s Garden.” You feel the stranger move close, but for some reason he’s hesitant in touching you. “You’re okay, kid. This is the safest place you can ever be. We even _fashioned_ you a new body. Not very _fitting,_ though. You slept longer than we expected so…”

That’s right. This body is bigger than your Vessel. No wonder you fumbled so much when signing. And yet, you feel more comfortable in it than you’ve ever felt. It’s as if it was created for you and your mind is just catching up with that idea.

“But!” The stranger is quick to assure you. “There’s a lot of great things about this body Life made for you that your Vessel probably didn’t have. Like, facial expressions. And a voice!”

…? Voice?

Picking up on your confused interest, the stranger becomes more enthused. “Yeah! A voice! Cool, huh? Why don’t you give it a spin right now? How about…your name? Why don’t you greet a new pal?”

You clear your throat and test out a few noises. It flows out, stilted and soft. The stranger makes a few encouraging noises to this before urging you to say your name.

What _is_ your name?

_Frisk_ was your first thought. But that’s a distant echo of a weight you had to leave behind to move forward. _Blank_ came next. It’s familiar and close to you, but even that name slips off like a pair of shoes that doesn’t quite fit anymore.

Another name comes to you. It hits you like a lightning bolt and it sinks into your new bones. Out of all the names, this one feels truer than anything has ever felt before. You open your mouth to say it, but what comes out is a rush of a thousand voices saying so many things at once. It’s deafening and it’s certainly **not** the sound you had intended to make. You clam up immediately, wondering what just went wrong.

Apparently, the stranger has the same thought. “That’s…new,” he forces out, trying to sound supportive and optimistic. “Um. How about this? I’ll give you a quick CHECK to see your new title. Sometimes, a deity’s true name isn’t something to be shared, so they go by their assigned function instead.”

Deity?

Before you can ask the stranger to explain any further, you feel the familiar sweep of getting CHECKED by another. There is a long beat of silence before the stranger speaks again.

“…huh. “Reader”. That’s a new one.”

That feels right. You don’t know what it means, but the “title” feels right to you.

(But, what did he mean by _deity_?)

You try to speak again. Your voice cracks and hitches before you manage to get the words through. “What…do you mean…by deity?” you ask.

It’s novel to hear _your own words_ come out of _your own mouth_. Even as Frisk, it felt like someone was always narrating your words and actions. And even then, you _know_ that all Gasters were hanging onto everything you did through the asterisks.

The stranger chuckles at your question. It’s a warm and fond sound. You wonder how you managed to elicit such a warm response from a person you don’t even know. “Deities,” he repeats, “gods, whatever other names humans call us, that’s what we are. Some are born. Some are created – like you and me.”

Gods…you remember briefly visiting a timeline with TK that had something like that. What was it again? That’s right. It’s –

“Reapertale.”

You hear the stranger let out a soft huff of surprise, confirming your guess. “Clever. But I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been a smart one, kiddo.”

‘Always been’?

“Who…are you?” This deity is claiming that he knows you, but you don’t recall making an acquaintance with someone like that. Did he confuse you with someone? “You know…me?” If he does, then how? And why did he risk so much to save you from the Destroyer? “Do I…know you?”

Silence follows. It stretches long enough to make you tense.

“Yeah,” the stranger finally answers. His words come out choked and a little overwhelmed. “Yeah, we know each other. It might be hard since you’re still getting used to the light, but we know each other really well even though it’s been a long time. Back then you were a little kid who barely reached my ribs and I was a glitch stuck in a Save Screen.”

No.

With a bit of effort, you slowly crack your eyes open. You wince when the sudden influx of light hits your eyes. And yet, you persevere through the pain and keep them open as everything slowly comes into focus.

And right in front of you is Geno.

…No. _No._ It’s another trick. Another illusion or dream. You’re not falling for this again. You close your eyes and shake your head, blocking the lie in front of you. “You’re not real.”

“You’re wrong. I _am_ real. It’s not some dream. I’m really here.” Your eyes fly open when you feel hands on your shoulders. Your eyes fly open and you see Geno’s face. He looks at you pleadingly. “I know it’s been a while but – kiddo, it’s _me_.”

You stare at him blankly. Almost desperate, Geno holds the edges of the blanket he draped over your shoulders and brings it closer to you. “See? Don’t you remember this? _Please_ tell me you remember this.”

The galaxy blanket.

…But it’s worn down? The colors are faded as if it’s been washed many times. There are some tears on it too. Why would an illusion add so many unnecessary details to something so inconsequential?

“…Geno?”

And then, it all hits you. This isn’t a dream or an illusion. This isn’t some scenario your mind created. Geno is truly here, alive and whole. Right in front of you.

Relief settles on his face when he sees the realization hit you. Geno gives you a weak smile. “Hey, kid.”

You punch him in the face.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**


	27. Life, Death, and Other Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, you're kinda a god now. That's pretty cool. But that comes with responsibilities that you're just beginning to understand. 
> 
> Hey, speaking of responsibilities, look at you running away from a Geno-shaped one. If you ignore it long enough, it'll go away. (Ha.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the Multiverse Tour! For our first stop in a while, we have [Reapertale!](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Reapertale) This wonderful AU is created by the talented [Renrink.](https://renrink.tumblr.com) Instead of monsters, our Undertale cast are gods and goddesses, inspired by the Greek and Roman pantheon.
> 
> Also, before we move forward, I have some other links concerning the previous AUs that you have all encountered in the past chapters _since a certain someone didn't even bother to do even that while mucking things up._
> 
> ...Ahem.
> 
> [Core!Frisk](https://undertale-au-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Frisk/CORE) is created by [DokuDoki.](https://dokudoki.tumblr.com/core!frisk) And [here](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/CORETale) is more information on the Omega Timeline. TK!Sans comes from [Quantumtale](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/QuantumTale) which is created by [perfectshadow06.](https://www.deviantart.com/perfectshadow06)
> 
> [Dancetale](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Dancetale) is created by [Teandstars.](https://teandstars.tumblr.com/tagged/dancetale)
> 
> Dream and Nightmare, along with the [Dreamtale](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Dreamtale) AU belongs to [Jokublog.](https://jokublog.tumblr.com) Killer belongs to [rahafwabas.](https://rahafwabas.tumblr.com/search/killer) Horror belongs to [Sour-Apple Studios.](https://sour-apple-studios.tumblr.com) Dust belongs to [Ask-DustTale.](https://ask-dusttale.tumblr.com)
> 
> As for the other AUs you have traveled to: The Handplates AU is a comic series drawn out by the talented [zarla.](https://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/139516306171/okay-i-get-a-lot-of-questions-about-what-order-the) The Reset!Blue AU is a concept that is created and beautifully drawn by [skesgo.](https://skesgo.tumblr.com) The Glitchtale series (which you can find and watch at Youtube) is animated by [Camila Cuevas.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzFUs-fmDxTSIoaWYeFFyOA) While the original Overgrowth fanfic and its series is canceled because of plagiarism issues, [the Flowerfell AU](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Flowerfell) belongs to Siviosanei. You can find the audio of Overgrowth [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCgiF9WDlSo) if you want to check it out! Or, you know, pay a dollar at the author's Patreon to read the fic. Whichever. The briefly seen AU [Underlust](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Underlust) was created by NSFWShamecave before being given over to the fandom. Farmtale, on the other hand, doesn't really have one specific creator since the concept itself was a result from the Japanese release of Undertale giving Sans an accent reserved for "country bumpkin speak". Which is hilarious.
> 
> Now, Cross is another kettle of fish. If you don't already know him before his introduction in this fic, then boy howdy do I have a treat for you, friend! Cross comes from an animation series called [Underverse.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRIw5N1YQ3k) It's long but very well worth the watch. It's prequel series, [Xtale,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fy8iWRqxGk&list=PLi-51t_bVTXaw9_28NB7VyGFTgFgTLahf) is also something worth looking at after finishing Underverse's Season 1. Both are created and animated by [Jakei.](https://jakei95.tumblr.com) I strongly recommend all of you to watch it since there will be spoilers and references to this in future chapters.
> 
> [Takes a deep breath.]
> 
> Okay. I'm done.

Despite your body’s current weakness, your punch does its damage and makes Geno stumble back. If he had a nose, it would’ve been broken.

“Kid?! What –?!”

_“_ _They won’t be opening the door any time soon. Or ever. I told ‘em not to, so they won’t. They’re good like that,”_ you spit out, baring your teeth at Geno even as your knuckles sting. To your vicious satisfaction, you see his eyelight shrink at the words. “Guess I’m not that “good” after all.”

You don’t look at or speak to Geno after that.

Oh, Geno certainly _tries_ to get through to you. He spends hours begging and pleading for you to let him _explain_. And yet, you continue to keep your angry silence until he finally relents and leaves you alone.

Good. That’s all he’s good at anyways.

* * *

“Hey, hey, Reader, you should try this! Mom makes the _best_ snail pie! Try!”

You are currently sitting at the dining table of the Goddess of Life. It’s already been a week since your reunion with Geno. Not long after Geno had let you be, the owner of the beautiful garden herself had appeared right in front of you. She brought you to her home and treated you with nothing but kindness.

The Frisk of this world, who apparently goes by their godly title, Mercy, is thrilled by your presence in Life’s home. Apparently, it’s been a while since they’ve interacted with a human ever since their adoption and their deityhood. You’re still a little stilted and awkward with your words, but Mercy has been helpful and encouraging throughout it all.

Which is relieving since you’re still trying to wrap your head around the whole being a deity thing. Mercy and Life are doing their best to explain everything, but there are still questions running through your mind that they can’t answer without bringing Geno into the conversation. You know it’s a bit immature and short-sighted of you, but you’re holding onto your grudge. Geno visits Life every day and you continue to reject seeing him.

You can tell that he has a good relationship with Life and Mercy. You don’t know _how_ Geno came to end up in this AU, but it’s apparent that he’s known your hosts for a long while. You’re grateful that they don’t push you to speak with him, but you can tell that your quiet anger with him makes things awkward in the house.

You take a bite out of the piece of snail pie from Mercy’s proffered fork. Delicious. Mercy giggles at the humming sound you make as you chew.

“It’s good, right? Here! Have some more!”

“My child, please, do not make Reader eat so much! They have a very important meeting to attend today and I do not want them to get sick!” Life scolds Mercy. The child deity makes a face at the reminder but listens to their mother. “Do we _have_ to go?” they complain loudly. “It’s so _boring_.”

“It is important that they meet the Pantheon at least once as a new deity. It’s the absolute law. You know this Frisk.”

You pick at your nice clothes and wonder what to expect. Mercy had done a great job in keeping your mind off of the upcoming meeting, but now you’re back to worrying.

Life notices your expression and her eyes soften. “Do not worry, Reader. It is not as ‘official’ as you fear. They just want to meet you. Many of them have contributed to your recovery, after all.”

But _why?_

* * *

Unlike the warmth of Life’s home, the temple where the Pantheon gathered is marbled and cold. You wish for the impassive countenance that your Vessel had as you stand before the King of all Gods – Asgore.

Or…just King, you suppose, since all deities seem to prefer to be called by their roles instead of their names. It suits you fine. The Multiverse is vast and the best thing that they have collectively done when they became aware of each other is to use nicknames.

The King is solemn, but kind. He graciously announces your title and welcomes you as one of their own. It’s a very short affair and you’re immediately released to mingle and meet the other deities. Just as you had suspected, the Pantheon consists of monsters with familiar faces of many monsters that you had encountered and fought.

But what you _don’t_ expect is the number of eyes on you. There’s a weight there that you can’t describe. It looks like…anticipation. For what, you don’t know. Many come forward to introduce themselves. You recognize Grillby, who introduces himself as the God of Hearth. There’s the Nice Cream Guy, who’s a minor merchant deity. Nature deities. Sea deities. The list is endless.

“Hey! Lemme through! I wanna see the late bloomer!”

Undyne pushes her way through, grin sharp as she looks at you from head to toe. Whatever she sees in you is probably good since she throws her head back and laughs.

_“I knew it!_ This newbie is going to be the future god of heroes!”

“Um, War?” One, brave god speaks up. “Didn’t the king say that their title is Reader?”

“Readers can be heroic!” The Goddess of War argues defensively. “Look at Alph! _She’s_ the Goddess of Knowledge and _she’s_ pretty cool! I know ‘cause I’m such a great and unbiased judge of character when it comes to bravery!”

“She’s your wife.”

“Exactly!”

Someone hesitantly taps you on the shoulder, drawing your attention away from the boisterous goddess. Alphys offers you a tentative smile and a wave. “H-Hi. It’s great to finally meet you! Reader, r-right?”

“Yeah,” you confirm, “and you are the Goddess of Knowledge.”

Knowledge flushes. “You’ve heard of me?”

You gesture behind you to War as an answer. Currently, she’s raising a bit of hell at a perceived slight towards her wife. Knowledge flushes even brighter at this and buries her face into her claws. It’s an adorable sight that makes you smile a little.

But then, a thought hit you.

“As the Goddess of Knowledge, you know everything.”

“N-Not _everything_ ,” the goddess fumbles, “j-just ideas and facts that are already discovered and known. If I _did_ know everything, so many problems wouldn’t have existed in the first place.” She hesitates. “But to answer your question about the difference between a natural-born deity and a created deity, the created deity must be originally mortal. With the permission of King Asgore, a natural-born deity can bring a mortal under their wing as a new god.”

You tilt your head. “But why me?”

“P-Pardon?”

“Why was I made a deity? I don’t remember doing anything worthwhile to deserve something like that.”

Knowledge stammers and mumbles inaudibly for a full minute before blurting out a “C-Classified!” You blink.

“…Okay,” you relent after a moment of stunned silence, “fine, it’s classified.”

“I’m so sorry. I wish I can tell you…but I promised Geno that –”

“Geno?”

You don’t think you yelled or even changed your tone, but Knowledge flinches all the same when you repeat the name that tumbled from her mouth. Everything seems to go silent as you try to ground yourself and move on to a different topic like a normal person.

Ah, you hate feeling like this.

“What about Geno?”

And then, the silence truly settles, and you realize that everyone in the temple has stopped talking. They’re all staring again, but this time, they aren’t staring at _you._

Slowly, you turn around and come face-to-face with a Sans. He’s donned in a black cloak with his hood up. His smile hitches in a peculiar way when he sees you. “Hey,” he greets casually before holding out his hand, “howzzit goin’?”

You reach out to shake his hand and the entire room holds its breath.

“Brother!”

Another boney hand smacks this Sans’ hand away from your reach. It’s a Papyrus, who’s just as cloaked as his brother. He looks a little more than miffed at Sans for some reason.

“That prank of yours went too far! Apologize immediately!”

This Sans himself looks a little shaken. He nods numbly. “Yeah, bro. You’re right.” He turns to you and dips his head. “Sorry, kid. I thought – heh. Nevermind. Forgot things aren’t common knowledge to newcomers. Next time don’t touch me or my brother. We’re Death Gods. We kill everything that touches us.”

You look between Sans and Papyrus before nodding, expression carefully blank.

The hooded Sans winces. “Yeah, the joke I made was in bad taste. My bad. Um, like coffee?”

You blink at the proffered cup of…Starbucks Coffee?! Was this Sans holding this the entire time? How unexpectedly modern for an AU that appears to be stuck in the Hellenistic Period. You wonder if he had to jump universes to get that cup or if the deities themselves are just old-fashioned.

“It’s fine,” you ultimately decide, “it’s an honest mistake. Besides, I don’t know if I’d like coffee, so it’s better staying with your hands, Lord Death…s?”

“Just call me Reaper.” Then, “wait, you never tried _coffee_?”

The Papyrus steps in front of his dismayed brother and offers you a friendly smile. “Hello! You may call me Respite! Thank you for forgiving my numbskull brother’s faux pas. I very much hope to be the greatest of friends!”

“I’d like to be friends too, Respite.”

You can’t help but smile at the younger God of Death’s enthusiastic response to the acceptance of friendship. You continue to speak with him and his brother for the rest of the meeting. Knowledge and War join in at some point.

Still, the stares aimed at the Death Brothers seem to linger even after the tense atmosphere is broken and no one approaches you after that.

* * *

“Life, mind if I borrow Reader for a bit?”

The next day, Reaper drops by for a visit. You accept his request for a chat and head out to the garden. The God of Death floats beside you, making sure not to touch Life’s flowers.

“So what’s your beef with Geno?”

You nearly trip at his question. This again?!

“Sore spot, I know. But you can’t avoid talking to him forever. Whatever you have against him can’t be worth all this extended silent treatment.” He catches the look on your face. “Or maybe it is,” he amends, “but from what I’m seeing, Geno has his own side to tell about this whole mess. Why don’t you just hear him out?”

“Why are you doing this?” You finally ask Reaper. You sound tired. You _feel_ tired. This constant emotional merry-go-round Geno has put you through ever since you found out the truth.

“Geno is well-liked by many gods here.”

“Like you.”

“Like me,” Reaper concedes. “One. Just one meeting to listen to his side of things. If you don’t like what you hear then” he shrugs “I won’t bother you about it again. No one will.”

“…Fine. Just one.”

* * *

An exhausted and irritated Geno storms into the clearing of the forest. In his hand is a crumpled-up piece of paper with a place and a time scribbled out haphazardly. _Don’t be late. Have a surprise for you! ^^_

“Reaps, if this is a joke, then I don’t have time –

He stops mid-rant. And stares.

“…kid?”

“Geno,” you respond as neutrally as you push yourself away from the tree you had been leaning on for the past hour, “you’re late.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, this conversation has to happen at some point. I know you're angry. You deserve to be after what you saw in that clocket. But remember this: I planned a happy ending for the both of you. You're missing something in the narrative. Something important.
> 
> Listen to him.


	28. 536

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geno talks, but not before you say what you need to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right. The moment of truth.
> 
> Also, Geno? Happy Birthday.

“If it were up to me, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

You might have agreed to a conversation with Geno, but you have no intention to be friendly with him. You keep your expression hard as you make no move to shorten the distance between the two of you.

“You’re angry. I understand,” Geno tries, but you cut him off.

“No. You _don’t_ understand.” And you’re almost certain that he never will. “Geno, you were my entire _world_.” You hate that you’re making yourself vulnerable all over again like this, but it’s the truth. “Ever since I got out of that hell, there was only you. You were my only constant. I thought,” you laughed as if mocking your younger self, “well, it’s stupid thinking it now, but I thought it was the same for you.”

The accusation sinks and sticks like spoiled molasses. Geno is speechless. He clutches at his scarf like a lifeline as he tries to find the right words to say. You look away from him.

“But I was wrong, wasn’t I? You had a life before I came into the picture and you had plans for the future where I didn’t fit.”

And there it is: The part that stung the most about this whole mess.

“Kid, _no_.” Geno finally finds his voice. He’s insistent. “That’s not true.”

“You didn’t even give me a chance _,_ ” you argue. “You just… _threw me away_ and replaced me with your Frisk. I don’t even know what I did wrong.” You turn to him with an expression you hope is accusing. You know better, though. It’s probably more hurt and brokenness. More weakness for him to eventually take advantage of. “What did I do so wrong that made you abandon me? In that place out of all places? At least tell me that, Geno. I deserve to know.”

“You do,” he agrees, “you _do_. And I want you to hear me out so you can judge me fully and completely for the choices I made. After that, you don’t have to see me ever again. _I promise_.”

* * *

Geno starts at what he calls the beginning.

“I never really did tell you how I ended up in the Save Screen, did I?”

No, he didn’t. Not the exact details, anyway. It just wasn’t something important compared to all the universe-hopping and the preparation to face Chara. And it never crossed your mind to ask.

Geno tells you. He starts with finding his brother’s dust amongst his scattered battle-body armor and his scarf. He recounts how he witnesses a recording of Papyrus’ death on Alphys’ monitor and how it pushed him to go down to the True Lab to fetch a leftover syringe filled with DT.

“Monsters usually can’t take the stuff without dusting or melting. Our bodies weren’t made to hold stuff like that. But honestly? I had nothing to lose.”

You think back at the gash across Geno’s ribs. Even without the wound being there now, you can still remember it. You remember how it constantly bled into his white shirt. Monsters never bled. They dust. And now, you know for certain that it was DT.

Geno recounts how it gave him that extra boost to counter Frisk at the Judgement Hall. And after he killed them for the first time, he entered the Save Screen for the first time. For a brief moment, he had the Reset button at his fingertips.

“And then, I was back at the Judgement Hall.”

Time turned back to the beginning of the fight _and he remembered_. In the past, him being aware of the human’s time manipulations only stopped at scientific reports showing anomalies in the timespace continuum and an uncanny knack at reading expressions. To actually _experience_ a Load was eye-opening.

Over and over, Geno tried to gain the power over time. And over and over, the human always came back. They became better. Faster. Precise. Until –

“Frisk got me.” Geno’s hand settles over where the wound had been before. “It took 536 tries, but they got me.”

Between his form already melting from the DT and his 1 HP, Geno’s situation was dire. But, in his last moments, he tried to control time and –

Well, that was how Geno ended up in the Save Screen.

“I think you know what happened after that. Watched the genocide happen all over again through a screen for a couple hundred times before I killed my Frisk in blind rage, which erased any chance of being able to reach a happy ending.” Geno tries to sound light, but you can see him fidgeting with his scarf. “Went through even more cycles of watching the demon child torture everyone I know and love before the isolation got to me and convinced me that destroying all timelines was the only way to protect Papyrus.”

You stare at him. “What.”

Geno clears his nonexistent throat. “I said –

“No, I know what you said.” You try to process what you just heard. You fail. _“What.”_

“Not my best idea, not going to lie.”

You hear yourself scoffing. You think you’re in shock. It’s an odd, out-of-body experience and you’d like it to stop now please. “No shit.”

“Where did you learn that?” Geno has the gall to sound like a scandalized parent at your slip of tongue when _he_ was the one planning the destruction of all timelines. As Dust loved to say – _what the actual fuck_. You tell Geno exactly that, including the expletive-inclusive phrase, much to his growing dismay.

He gets over it. You make sure he does. He still has more to explain.

“As I was saying, I had a bad idea. A really, really bad idea that can’t really work with only a fraction of a monster soul and second-hand Determination. So, I tried to recruit Sans.” Geno smiles grimly at that. “’Course, being the saner of the two of us, he knew a bad idea when he heard one.” He sounds quiet and ashamed when he gets to this part. “I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Not with my state of mind. So, I turned back time. I wiped away his memories and started all over again in trying to convince him. **I did it over and over again.** ”

_“Being stuck in a loop you can’t control and remembering every second of it can do things to a Sans,”_ you remember Horror telling you, and for the first time, you can see what he meant by that.

“And then, right when I was at the edge of completely losing it, Gaster came to me with an offer that changed _everything_.”

* * *

**“Geno.”** Ever condescendingly sympathetic, Gaster creeps into Geno’s peripheral after he had to send back Sans _again_. He had been so close this time. _So close._ Why can’t Sans see it? _What is he doing wrong?_

**“Geno,”** Gaster croons again, not helping his already terrible mood _at all_ , **“poor Geno. Nothing is working for you, is it?”**

Geno lets out a snarl and turns to face Gaster, eye-blazing. His patience is at level _zero_ right now and the ex-Royal Scientist is pushing it even _further_ by bringing up his most recent failure. And for what? The same song and dance they do whenever the goopy bastard shows his face? Geno isn’t having it this time. “if this is about joining you in the void, then –

**“Oh Geno, you of such little faith,”** the scientist sighs as if he hadn’t been constantly harassing Geno to join him whenever he had the chance, **“I come with something that may help you get what you want, Geno. And I assure you, it will help _substantially._ I only ask for you to give me what _I_ want…if you somehow manage to fail.”** His melting smile shifts into something dangerous. **“Am I not generous, Geno?”**

A hysterical laugh escapes Geno’s mouth. He can feel his control unraveling. The only thing standing in the way of him completely tumbling into the despair he’s at the cusp of feeling is that _damn DT_. “yeah, whatever. at this point, i’d take anything that’ll keep the demon from killing paps again.”

Gaster points over to a direction. **“It is over there.”**

Geno goes. He normally doesn’t humor the unhinged monster, but now? He’s grabbing at spiderwebs for a _chance_ to get Papyrus out from under the demon’s thumb. No more death. No more suffering.

Before Geno knows it, he catches sight of a gray door that he _swears_ has never been there before. He’s cautious at first. He didn’t actually _expect_ to see anything since this isn’t the first time Gaster tried to fuck with his head.

But then, Geno hears knocking at the other side of the door.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashback time! Geno POV!! Now, we'll finally get to seeing his side of the events!


	29. Someone Cares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geno made the wrong choice the first time a human child walked through a door. He won't make it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Geno's side of the story.

Geno knocks back. It takes a bit of time and some coaxing, but the person on the other side of the door responds.

Like a monster in their stripes shaking a wrapped gyftmas present to guess its contents, he tests the waters as he interacts with this mysterious person. He uses endless puns and a few stories of home to hide how he’s probing for information and intent. This isn’t the first time Geno has attempted to gauge the identity of a person hidden behind a closed door.

The voice yields almost no answers. Not because they refuse to, but because they can’t. For some reason that is unknown to themselves, they are stuck in a blank world with only their own name.

Frisk.

It’s as if the answer to all Geno’s problems landed right onto his lap. A human – a _Frisk_ – with no memory about their past life and, more importantly, _what they can do_. Being a human, this Frisk can surely wrestle away control over the Reset button from the demon. _They can help Geno protect Papyrus from any more suffering._

So this was the gift that Gaster was talking about. Geno pushes back the brief flicker of suspicion when he recalls the terms of their little ‘agreement’. He can’t risk backing out of a huge chance like this. Geno is confident that he won’t fail.

Now.

All Geno needs to do is get that kid to step through the door.

* * *

It takes time to convince the human child to step out of their prison. They’re scared of the unknown, so Geno waits. He’s patient. And eventually, his patience is rewarded.

The child who steps out from the doors barely looks like Frisk. They’re completely colorless and their form and features look sketched in. Any suspicions Geno had that the kid was lying about their lack of memory are completely obliterated when he sees them run their hands through the patch of grass as if it were silk.

They’re a blank slate. They’re new and curious and they have absolutely no memory of their own power. Geno endeavors to use that while it lasts. Who knows when the human’s memories return, and they revert back to the megalomaniac they probably once were?

But it’s difficult to keep thinking like that the more he watches and interacts with the child. The kid is so curious and earnest. So earnest that Geno can read them like a book without even trying. They’re unsure about everything, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting to try something new after they took that tremendous first step out of the door.

The kid is _nothing_ like the Frisk Geno remembers.

…But he needs to protect Papyrus. Good or not, there’s no way to be sure that it will be permanent. The kid might be likable for now, but Geno has suffered through enough Resets to put Papyrus’ safety at risk just because of that. He can’t let some human child, no matter how good and earnest, keep the power and eventually restart the hellish cycle all over again.

_Better to nip that bud before it grows into something dangerous, right?_

Geno won’t kill them. That’s one line he won’t be crossing again, especially to someone so uninvolved and innocent to this mess. He won’t leave the kid alone with the demon spawn in the Save Screen either. They don’t deserve to get swept up into the mess of the destruction that Geno plans to bring in his last moments.

Geno resolves, instead, to return them to the place beyond the door.

They deserve to live, Geno reasons, it might be terrible, but it’s certainly better than death and destruction with a homicidal megalomaniac.

_you’re not even asking them,_ something in him accuses with something that sounds too close to disgust, _you’re deciding their future without even asking them. playing around with them while they’re sweet and ignorant. you’re acting like **them.**_

He’s not. He’s _not._

And yet, Geno can see otherwise when the kid quails at the face of a genocide being committed in front of them by a child sharing their face. When, instead of immediately pulling them away from the screen, he lets them watch to let the horror and guilt settle in long enough for them to feel responsible. Geno sees how it works when the kid scrambles at the first opportunity to _help_. It’s so easy – _so easy_ – to manipulate them into doing what Geno wants and it makes him sick. 

Maybe…maybe he’ll think about telling them the truth after this is all over with and let them choose. Maybe.

In the end, that choice is taken away from Geno when the kid falls through the veil and into an unfamiliar Underground.

* * *

Geno watches as his entire worldview is shattered beyond comprehension.

Well, that, and the RESET button under the kid’s fist.

Geno already knew that this Frisk is a good kid. But he didn’t know _how far_ they are willing to go to uphold the beliefs that they formed during their short time out of the blank place. Geno thinks he feels pride – _true_ pride – when the kid returns to the Save Screen all scruffy, victorious, and a teensy bit more colorful.

They continue blowing Geno away. In the next alternate universe. And the next after that.

By the time they reach mid-way through what Geno calls the Justice timeline, Geno realizes that, for the first time, he’s hopeful. He’s cheering for the kid. He’s hanging onto every step that they take. He’s _helping_ them craft a contract. (Seriously, the things that this kid comes up with.)

It takes _Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny_ to shatter whatever illusion Geno had that he’s going to use the kid to destroy his timeline. Strike that, it shattered whatever illusion that made Geno think that the destroying the timeline thing was even a good idea. What the _ever-loving fuck_ was he even thinking? ‘it’ll protect papyrus?’ His plan is the very thing that would’ve wiped away whatever remains of his precious brother. 

Geno stifles the sound that tries to claw out of his nonexistent throat so he wouldn’t wake the kid up. They’ve been having nightmares recently and he doesn’t want to take away what little rest they’re getting. He tells himself to keep it together. He doesn’t deserve to break down like this after all that he’s done and all that he _would’ve_ done to the kid.

Later, Geno watches as the kid talks down their very-dead-but-now-a-ghost counterpart from doing the very thing that he’d been trying to do until he woke up from his isolation-fueled madness.

He wonders if the kid would’ve done the same thing with him if the whole universe-hopping thing didn’t take place. He wonders what he would’ve done in response.

(He doesn’t like the answer he comes up with.)

* * *

**“Hiding me away as if I am a shameful secret. I have to say, I am hurt, Geno.”** The scientist shifts his expression to one of hurt. **“Have I not been generous?”**

Gaster is no advocate or friend. Geno has no misconceptions about their relationship. The moment he drew out the kid’s soul, he _knew_ that Gaster had set him up for failure. It had been a small, trembling thing with only a trace of Determination. It wouldn’t have stood a chance against the Demon. Geno is only grateful that things ended up the way they did, or he would’ve ended up in the Void, unable to help Pap.

Just as Gaster wants.

Geno shifts his scarf over his smile. “heh. yeah. real generous of ya, doc, givin’ me a human sucked dry of their own determination.”

**“Geno,”** Gaster chides, **“we both know nothing comes without a price. There is no need for you to be so suspicious. I just wanted to say hello to the child. You should introduce us next time.”**

Geno’s smile is gone. “and let you sabotage everything that we worked for? no thanks.”

**“So paranoid.”**

“ain’t paranoid when it’s true. we both know what would’ve happened if the glitch didn’t happen.” The smile behind the scarf turns into a smirk. “and now, you’re gettin’ scared since nothing is going according to plan and the scales are shifting to my favor.”

Instead of anger, Geno hears Gaster laugh. **“Setting all your hopes onto the shoulders of an amnesiac? Oh Geno, you really are desperate, aren’t you?”**

* * *

Papyrus gets hurt. Papyrus isn’t getting better.

Geno is _devastated_.

Geno knows, logically, that this is not his Papyrus. He has seen many versions of his little brother before and he hadn’t been as concerned about them. But, then again, none of the others he’d seen before resembled his Pap _this much_. Aside from his role and his estrangement with his royal, child-murdering Sans (and ain’t _that_ a slap to the face), this Papyrus is almost identical his brother.

**“Poor, poor Papyrus.”** Like a curse, Gaster returns. **“The child can only succeed for so long. I told you that it was unwise to put so much faith in them. It’s a pity. And you were getting used to not seeing your brother die too.”**

Needless to say, Geno doesn’t react well to that. His magic, reflecting his tumultuous emotions, make a mess in the Save Screen – something that hasn’t happened in a long time. Geno’s consciousness comes back to a Save Screen littered with bones and blaster marks. He turns back to the screen and tries not to sob at the sight of his comatose brother. He’s never seen Pap die so slowly before. “no, no, no, no, not again, not paps, i can’t –

**“Giving up yet, my dear Genocide?”**

Gaster remains unbearably smug about how everything is turning out and it turns everything inside Geno cold.

**“ s h u t u p , g a s t e r ! ”** he snarls and throws a new barrage of attacks haphazardly, hoping with all his soul that at least one of them hits Gaster. At the same time, he doesn’t want to even _look_ at the other monster. Responding to his thoughts, Geno’s magic turns into a giant, self-sustaining cyclone that constantly shoots out attacks to deter Gaster from taking a step closer. 

Geno stays like that for a while, shutting himself out from ~~Papyrus dying~~ everything. It’ll happen, he knows, but he doesn’t want to see it. He knows that one more death, especially when his hopes are this high, would break him.

But then, he hears someone call his name.

Geno feels small arms wrap around him as best they can. The kid lets out a stream comforting words as they hang off of him. They apologize for not coming sooner. They promise that Papyrus will be okay.

This kid.

Warmth spreads through Geno at their earnest promise even as he voices his doubts. It’s _is_ a high order, after all.

Not too long after, the kid goes above and beyond their promise…at the expense of their life. They come back with a heart-wrenching expression and quietly cries into his shirt.

Geno hates himself for even doubting them for a moment.

(He gives them a paltry “i’m sorry” as if those two, overused words can even begin to fix everything he’s done wrong.)

* * *

Geno has decided: the kid is going to live a happy life in the Surface of his timeline. He’s going to make sure of it. Even if it curses him to an eternity with the demon child in the Save Screen, he’s going to damn well try to push for that ending.

Why? Because he cares about the kid – genuinely cares about them. That’s why. Geno wants to see them happy and growing. He wants them to have more than just the Save Screen and the constant universe-hopping.

He wants them to have a home.

Geno can already see it: The kid breaking the barrier as they had many times before and shattering that Reset button to make it all permanent. The kid living on the Surface with everyone, where time only moves forward and never in constant loops. The kid growing up with everyone – especially with Papyrus and Sans.

And Geno? Well, there’s no place for him in that picture. A single step outside of the Save Screen will dust him completely and there is nothing that’s going to change that. Geno knows that his death is simply an inevitability. He’s accepted this a long time ago.

But that’s no longer a problem. Geno doesn’t have any regrets. At this point, Geno trusts Papyrus’ fate and happiness in the kid’s hands even more than himself, so he doesn’t have any more worries either.

As if sensing his readiness to accept his end, the universe offers Geno something truly special.

Stars. So many stars. It’s all endless and colorful. Geno is completely enraptured by the sight even if it’s all playing behind a screen.

The kid chooses to take their time. They soak in every beautiful sight and bring back many gifts for Geno to enjoy the moment they return to the Save Screen. Along with the food, they give him the fluffiest blanket he’s ever touched. It’s covered in stars. The kid promises to show him real stars under a real sky.

Oh.

This kid.

_This kid._

Geno can’t find it in himself to tell them the truth. The kid is so happy and hopeful. To break that in this beautiful moment feels too cruel and Geno is done being cruel. So, he draws his scarf up his mouth and smiles his best smile. “yeah,” he lies, “i can’t wait, kid.”

* * *

“kid. c’mere.”

Geno finds himself with an armful of an exhausted, human child. They fought hard against the demon and won. He couldn’t be any prouder of them.

“it’s okay,” Geno both soothes and praises them, “you did great, kid. it’s over now.”

_you can go home._

* * *

**“Oh Geno,”** Gaster sighs, stepping out of the shadows, **“did you really think that this would work?”**

* * *

Geno doesn’t know _how_ Gaster managed to do what he has done, but he’s scared. Earlier, he had tried to confess to them that he _‘can’t go with you to the surface, kiddo. i’m sorry’_ before his words caught midway and garbled. Geno can’t describe it. It’s as if something reached over and smudged away his sentence. Worse yet, it knocked the kid out cold.

Geno cradles the kid close and away from the looming Gaster. He’s under the thumb of an unknown power all over again except it’s happening right _now_ instead of behind a screen.

“playin’ unfair, doc? never thought you a cheater.”

**“Simply righting a wrong,”** Gaster corrects smoothly, looking all too pleased with himself. He doesn’t even try to deny it, which worries Geno. It means that he’s completely confident with his success. **“What both of you are achieving is not what we agreed. Instead of destroying this timeline, you choose to do the complete opposite with the power of the human. The tool I have gifted you has been a little _too_ generous. Fortunately, I have a friend who is willing to even the scales for me. I will be taking the child back to where they came from.”**

Geno growls when he sees Gaster take a step forward. Bone attacks rise up to fend the Void being off.

**“I see that you will not be making this easy for the both of us. When will you ever learn that any efforts against the inevitable is useless?”** When Geno doesn’t answer, the scientist shakes his head. **“Perhaps some time alone will make you see the entire picture of your…position. The Save Screen is timeless, and I have patience.”**

Gaster slinks back into the darkness. Geno doesn’t let the illusion of privacy trick him. He knows that he’s still there.

Usually, Geno would give up at this point. Throw the towel. Accept that everything is hopeless.

Not today.

Determination is a thing of miracles, isn’t it? Even if he’s just a tiny fraction of a monster, he has a generous amount of DT to spare. Geno tries to think of a solution to get the kid out of this mess. Any solution. He subtly shifts through his own inventory. He finds some snacks, souvenirs the kid picked up, and the blanket.

Of course, there’s a bunch of shards that the kid would accidentally track in after every run, but Geno only kept those so they wouldn’t get in the way and cut the kid.

With a stifled wince, Geno does something that goes against every fiber of his being: he goes through another person’s inventory. It’s extremely rude, especially when the person in question is unconscious and unable to consent. But Geno pushes through the feeling of _wrongness_ and shifts through the dimensional space.

Spider Candy, Nice Cream, a brochure on spaceships and constellations, Hopes and Dreams, some of Papyrus’ spaghetti, and –

Geno blinks in confusion. What in the world is a “Broken Button”?

Even though he has no idea what it is, he sneaks it into his inventory. Better that than nothing, right?

But then, something odd happens. Instead of taking another slot, the “Broken Button” clicks right in with the gathered shards, fusing and turning into something else. If Geno could breath, it would’ve been taken away when he sees what’s in his pocket.

A Reset button.

…Powerful, but it’s useless if the kid isn’t the one using it. They have the greater amount of Determination, unfortunately.

Whelp, onto the default plan, then.

Geno gathers the kid closer to himself and books it further into the Save Screen, blasters blazing. Hopefully, he can buy enough time for the kid to wake up and they’ll both go from there.

* * *

“wait for me, kiddo.”

Geno hates irony. He hates closing the door on the kid’s face even more. They were so scared. But it’s better and safer this way. Geno will handle Gaster and they’ll be safe from any consequences that might come from the poorly patched Reset button.

**“How cruel, Geno.”**

Now, all Geno needs is time and Gaster’s attention _away_ from the door long enough for the Void being to forget about them _completely_.

It’s almost painfully easy to lead Gaster around. The guy made his own conclusions about Geno’s plans and thoughts. All Geno had to do is stay silent as the scientist monologued before he gathered enough strength and DT to press the button.

Geno has to admit, it feels good to wipe the smug grin off the bastard’s face when he reveals his hand. He presses the button and, somehow, time turns back in a timeless place. Geno watches as Gaster melts away in front of him. He’s filled with relief. They will be safe. He and the kid. They’ll have to do some things again, but he has faith in them. As long as they’re safe and unhurt, Geno is fine.

But then, it happens.

Like sand through cupped hands, Geno feels his own memories slip away as time rewinds. He desperately scrabbles to hold on. To _remember._ But he doesn’t have enough Determination for something like that. He used almost all of it to press the button.

But the kid.

Geno can’t forget. _Don’t forget._ The kid is all alone in the room waiting for him to knock on the door. He won’t let them down like that. Not when Gaster’s no longer there to hurt them. The kid was supposed be happy. This kind of ending isn’t kind for something as good as them, it’s cruel.

_Don’t forget._ Knock on the door. Don’t let them down. No one there to hurt them. The kid is good and should be happy. This isn’t kind.

_Don’t –_ door? Who’s hurt? The kid should be – ? Not kind?

Oh.

Geno remembers.

Anger courses through the glitch as he stands in front of the curled figure beneath him. That’s right. Geno is giving the human child their due for doing what they did to the Underground. _The dirty brother killer._

_don’t hurt the kid. be kind._

Geno stops. For some reason, the anger saps out of him and his blasters quell their attacks. He lets out a sigh.

“hey kiddo. why don’t we just forget all of this. okay?” Geno holds out a hand. “c’mere, pal.”

* * *

“You…didn’t leave me there on purpose?”

You break your silence. Geno pauses in his storytelling at your outburst. His eyelight softens at the tremor that your voice betrays. He nods.

“I wouldn’t have left you if I remembered. I swear. I didn’t even remember until…” Geno winces. “Well. I made a mistake. I couldn’t trust Frisk, so I experimented with DT to find a way to prevent another Reset. I was too careless and took a risk I shouldn’t have took. I ended up in a completely blank space. The Antivoid. I spent – well, I don’t know how long I spent in there trying to find an exit. But then, I finally found something. A door and a blanket.”

Geno pauses.

“And under it was you.”

* * *

“oh no.”

Geno runs over to the blanket and throws it back. There, curled up into a ball, is Frisk. _His_ Frisk. _His_ kiddo. The memories all come flowing back. A sob climbs up his nonexistent throat when he sees how their colors have faded from their body. They’re barely even there.

They’ve been waiting for him this entire time.

“no, no, no, no, **no.** kid, wake up!”

Geno shakes them. Shouts at them. But the kid doesn’t wake up. They remain still and cold. Geno would’ve thought them dead if not for their soul.

Geno gathers them up into the blanket and cradles them to his chest. He reaches for the door. It’ll be okay. As long as he gets the kid out of here, they’ll be okay.

But there is no safety in the Save Screen. A furious Gaster meets him on the other side.

Geno tries to step back, but it’s too late. The door closes and disappears. It seems that it could only work for a final time. Before Geno can even react, Gaster descends onto him and the kid.

What happens next is…painful. Gaster carves his anger into Geno’s bones, shattering them and letting the Void seep into the cracks. He leaves his skull well alone for some reason. Maybe to ensure that Geno can see everything.

It’s worse for the kid. Gaster shreds their body like it’s paper. He tries to go for the soul next, but Geno snatches it away before the insane monster can do any more harm to the kid. He sends a blaster attack to the Gaster’s face and makes his escape with the kid’s soul wrapped up in the blanket. He rushes over to the veil and jumps through, uncaring of where it will take them. He just wants _out_.

And then, they’re out. But they’re falling.

Instinctively, to keep it safe, Geno fuses with the kid’s soul with his own as they plummet. To his dismay and grief, he does not feel them. Yes, the soul’s powers and traits are faint, but still there, but everything that made Frisk _them_ is long gone.

(No one’s home.)

Geno’s fall slows. He’s flying, but he doesn’t notice. He doesn’t care. The kid’s gone. _Gone._

In his distraction and grief, Geno slams into a tree and lands face-first into a bed of golden flowers.

* * *

“And then, I ended up here. Life found me in her garden. Eventually, I became a god and I somehow managed to find a familiar soul. Different timeline, but it was still you. You know the rest.”

Geno smiles ruefully.

“And there we have it. My confession.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will you Judge him?


	30. Miracles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's going to take time, but you think everything is going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see that all of you have made your Judgements on Geno. Despite your misgivings and lingering anger, I can also sense a potential for forgiveness too. Or should I say...Mercy?
> 
> Hold onto that feeling. 
> 
> Before we continue onto the response, I would like to draw attention to some beautiful fanart that the talented [harley-style](https://harley-style.tumblr.com) created! The first artwork is a set of fanart of our Colorless!Frisk right [here](https://zakyuu.tumblr.com/post/626801681920901120/with-a-little-soul-that-could-centuryberry) and the next is the scene where Geno tells Frisk to wait for him in the blank room right [here](https://zakyuu.tumblr.com/post/627334722858680321/im-baaaaaack). You should go and check them out. They're really great!
> 
> Now, to the conclusion of Geno's confession.

You’re silent at first. You don’t know how to feel. You don’t know what to do. You’re too overwhelmed to answer Geno’s question immediately. There’s just so much to process and so many questions. Should you forgive him? Is there even anything to forgive? Should you stay angry or let everything go?

“You’re not my Geno,” you finally settle on. It’s not one of the many questions spinning in your head but confirming this feels important.

“No,” he confirms. There’s a little tremble in the single syllable as Geno says it. He looks almost afraid of your reaction. Maybe he fears that you will reject him again because he isn’t what you expected him to be.

“Mine would’ve never come back for me, would he? He doesn’t even remember me.”

“…No.”

“But,” you continue and it’s your turn to be a little afraid now, “if you both remembered, you would’ve come back.” _Right?_

“Yes.” The entire conversation had been stilted and guilt-ridden, but this time you hear only certainty in Geno’s voice. _“Yes._ I would’ve come back. I always, _always_ planned to come back for you, kiddo.”

And really, that’s all you needed to hear.

You stumble over to Geno and surprise him by crushing him into a tight hug. It’s not quite forgiveness or relief, you think, but an overdue reunion that you’re trying to grasp while it’s miles ahead of your reach.

You feel Geno shake as he sobs into your shoulder.

* * *

The hurt and anger never really goes away, but you don’t let that stop you from accepting Geno’s attempts in reforging your relationship. You no longer turn him away whenever he visits, and you take the time to talk to him. Your sudden change of heart is met with relief from many deities, most of all Life and Mercy.

“I am relieved to see that you and Geno have resolved your conflict,” Life tells you with a warm smile after the first visit. The flowers at the table look more vibrant at her joy. “Since both of you are my dear friends, I confess that I was troubled by the tension between you.”

Life assumes that everything is forgotten and washed away. Mercy knows better.

“I’m glad you gave him another chance,” they tell you and says nothing more on that.

* * *

It’s not even a week after your conversation with Geno that the subject about your newfound status as a deity arises once again. Reaper brings it up at the dining table when he accompanies Geno during one of the visits.

“So. When’s the godling going to take up their official duties?” The god of death, despite his dour duty, always sounds like he’s delivering a joke with a punchline that only he knows. You’ve long since gotten used to his empty, deathly gaze, so you can tell by how his smile quirks that he’s amused by something. He looks over to Geno pointedly. “It’s been a while since Reader woke up. Don’t you think it’s time for their mentor to step up and show them the ropes of being a god?”

You don’t know why Geno bristles at that. You know that it’s common for Reaper and Geno to bicker – Reaper being the one who teases and Geno being the one who reacts, that’s just how their dynamic always is whenever you see them together – but this feels different. There’s more heat and anger where there would usually be bluster. “Kiddo hasn’t found their niche yet, Reaper. Their title isn’t that forthcoming about what they’re supposed to do, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I have noticed, actually,” Reaper says lightly though there’s an undercurrent of _something_ in his voice, “which is why I think that Reader should start _spreading their wings_ and searching for the answer beyond Life’s garden. With the help of their parent deity, of course.”

“It’s too early. They just recovered,” Geno states shortly, briefly glancing at you with concern written in his features before turning his glare back at Reaper. “Don’t push them.”

“Don’t hold them back.”

When he sees that Reaper isn’t going to budge on the subject, Geno grabs Reaper by the hand and makes his exit. For a moment, your heart stops at the contact.

But Geno doesn’t dust.

He doesn’t even look the slightest bit affected by Reaper’s touch, confounding you into silence as he excuses himself with a hasty apology before making it out the door with the death god in tow. Again, you’re reminded that there’s still so much that you don’t know about Geno and this AU. You frown.

“Life?”

“Yes, Reader?”

“I want to start learning. May I meet the deity who’s supposed to be my mentor?”

* * *

The deity responsible for ‘creating’ you is apparently a _big deal_. No, he isn’t Asgore, but he’s someone who’s just as influential as the King of all Gods. The stares and whispers you had received during your introduction to the Pantheon suddenly makes a whole lot of sense.

The God of Miracles.

With a twinkle in her eyes, Life makes the preparations of inviting the god into her home after you make your request. You think that if she had any less control over herself, she would be giggling in amusement. You don’t really find it that funny. There are butterflies swarming in your gut to the point that you don’t sleep a wink the entire night. By the next day, the God of Miracles comes.

Your first sight of the deity is their wings.

They’re beautiful. It’s as if someone had water colored an entire painter’s palette onto the feathers. They wear white robes, which serve as a drastic contrast to the unique coloring of their wings. They land on Life’s flowers and reveal their face.

Except, this is no true face, but a mask. A _gaster blaster_. You’d recognize the skull’s design from anywhere from all those hours playing and fighting with them.

“Life,” Miracle finally speaks, making you start and your world tilts all over again, “I hope that you have a good reason for doing all of this.” The god removes his mask, revealing a very unimpressed Geno.

“Reader wanted to meet you,” she informs him primly, “and I couldn’t find it in my soul to keep them away from a right that every created deity has.”

“But you aren’t a natural-born god,” you speak up, confusion evident.

“…No,” Geno admits, “but Asgore made an exception this time when I pleaded with him to save you. You weren’t…you weren’t in a good shape when I reached you, kiddo. Heh.” His tone goes eerily empty as his mind goes elsewhere. “The Destroyer didn’t hold back. Reaper nearly had to reap you.”

Your eyes widen. That’s right. You vaguely remembered the sound of wing beats before you blacked out when Error had you.

Geno’s expression relaxes and the emptiness leaves you when he sees you shift.

“It’s fine. Asgore said yes. You woke up. And now, you’re safe and happy.” He sends Life a look. “And I’d like it to stay that way for a while before the Pantheon dumps all the hard work on you. You deserve a break.”

“But why did you hide all of this from me?” You ask him, lost and a little disappointed. You thought that both of you are beyond secrets after what had happened, but you guess not.

Geno blinks.

“Hide? Hide what?”

You feel a stab of irritation at his genuine confusion and gesture to his wings. _“Everything!_ You being Lord Miracle. You being my _mentor_! I wasn’t even given the permission to know the reason _why_ I was created! Why so many secrets? I thought we were through with this, Geno.”

“You didn’t – kid, _no one told you?”_

All of your fire immediately sizzles out when you hear the absolute disbelief in Geno’s voice. After being ushered inside and to the table by Life, Geno does his best to fill you in on information that everyone else apparently took for granted enough to forget to inform you.

“I can’t believe they all forgot you’re practically out of Life’s cradle,” Geno grumbles into his hands. “I don’t even want to _imagine_ all the dangerous mistakes that you could’ve made because everyone was careless.”

You shrug. “It wasn’t all that bad. I mean, aside from the time I almost accepted Reaper’s handshake, I think I did okay.”

“…He did _what_.”

Life firmly sets down a plate of butterscotch-cinnamon pie before Geno could attempt to do the impossible: hunt down and drop-kick the God of Death himself into the afterlife.

“You are supposed to be their teacher, correct? Then stop blaming others for your own shortcomings and _teach them._ ”

Geno wilts under Life’s criticism and remains seated like a punished child. A not-so-small part of you that’s still smarting from Geno’s lack of communication feels a little schadenfreude at his expense. Life, on the other hand, gentles her harsh hand when she sees that her friend is at least aware of his shortcomings.

“I understand the desire to shelter the ones you cherish the most, but you must also be aware that shielding them from the truth would only harm them in the end. Reader is a capable godling, are they not? Have more faith in them.”

“Ok,” Geno takes a breath, “ok. You’re right. I’ll start teaching them.” He shifts his gaze over to you. “I’ll start teaching you, kiddo. Life’s right. I’ve been an idiot. I promise, I’ll do better.”

* * *

And he does.

Geno isn’t perfect. He still makes mistakes. But you don’t hold them against him too much when he does. He is still learning and the fact that he’s actively _trying_ for you makes a whole world’s difference. 

Geno comes every day with books and lessons, always reserving two hours of his busy work schedule for you without fail. He does his best to answer your questions and fill you in on this universe’s culture and unspoken rules. Monsters do not exist, just gods and mortal humans. Aside from being directly touched by Death or becoming an obsolete concept, gods are immortal. Though powerful, deities cannot go against their nature despite personal feelings on the matter. War will always enable battles and fights no matter the cost. Knowledge will search for answers no matter how dangerous.

And Death will always reap the souls destined to die.

“And me?”

“What about you, kiddo?”

“My nature – when will I find out what it is?” It’s starting to bother you. No matter how hard you try and how much you search, you still don’t know what your place in the Pantheon is. Your title reveals absolutely nothing, which doesn’t help much either.

Geno hums. “It’s not always clear for some godlings. It took Mercy some time to discover their own place too. Don’t worry ‘bout it too much. It just means that you’re meant for something great, that’s all.”

Seeing that you’re still disheartened, he suggests that you shadow him the next day instead of the usual lesson. “Seeing it all in action might help. We can even visit the others. How about it?”

* * *

Geno is a busy god. While his workload isn’t as overbooked as the Death Brothers, it takes time and power to create miracles. “It used to be a whole lot busier when our workload extended to the other AUs,” Geno confesses to you when you express your disbelief that he’s able to do this _every day_.

“What happened?”

“Asgore made the call when the Multiverse became too chaotic and unpredictable for the gods to safely perform their duties.” Geno shrugs. “He makes all the tough decisions in the Pantheon. He’s the reason why Reaper and Respite came to be. Since Knowledge has a knack of discovering and knowing secrets, she’s the one who keeps all the more ‘classified’ information under wraps.”

Curious, you ask, “Like the reason why I was made into a god?”

“…Yeah.” Geno’s grin turns sheepish. “That too. Sorry ‘bout that one, kiddo. Made her promise not to spread the details about your creation to the public since it bent… _a lot_ of Asgore’s rules and laws. Though,” he frowns, “I never got to know why he was willing break his own laws for my request.”

Geno’s musing gets cut off when he’s summoned to protect a soul. You watch with rapt eyes from a cloud as he flies down to a drowning mortal. You see a flash of black trail behind Geno. To your surprise, it’s Reaper. On his back are a pair of black wings. It wasn’t on him the previous times you’ve interacted with the god, but Geno has shown you how he can summon and de-summon his own wings at will, so it isn’t too much of a reach to assume that it’s the same for Reaper. You witness as the two race for the struggling soul.

In the end, Miracle’s hand is wrapped around Death’s scythe, stopping it in its tracks. The human survives, pulled out of the water by friends. Despite losing the soul, Reaper doesn’t look disappointed at all. His cheekbones are still flush with magic from the exhilarating race when he comes over to greet you.

Geno’s duty does not intertwine only with Death. You watch him become an interloper during War, pulling victories from almost hopeless scenarios. You watch him lead scientists to breakthroughs with Knowledge.

You watch him work until the sun dips away and the stars make an appearance. After that, Geno takes you over to an all-too-familiar mountain. “Mt. Ebott?”

“Yeah,” Geno agrees softly as he carries you over to the mountain’s zenith, “instead of legends of monsters being sealed underground, this world believes the mountain to be the home of the gods. Untrue, but it still offers one hell of a view.”

To your surprise, you see other deities gathered at the top. There are blankets, candles, and food set up and ready for you as Geno lands. “What is this?”

“What does it look like, punk? It’s a party for you!” War crows as she shoves a drink and a plate full of food into your hands. She, along with Mercy, ushers you along to a blanket. “Geno’s idea. Jerk made us all get ready for this out of the blue.”

Knowledge is already settled on a blanket near your own. “Y-You know…there’s an old legend about th-this place among the gods. They s-say that this is the birthplace of the deities and, because of that, witnessing a sunrise would hail the beginnings of a g-great fate.”

“Perfect ritual for a late-blooming godling to find their nature, amiright?” Reaper sweeps into the gathering along with his brother. Both of them remain floating a good distance above the gods to avoid any…accidents. “Here’s to hoping it works.”

You nearly hunch into yourself at his words. “…And if it doesn’t?”

“Eh. We have eternity to find out about your abilities, don’t we? Don’t stress too much and enjoy the sunrise.” He takes a sip from his cup. Coffee again. “Geno’s not one to believe in stuff like this anyways, but he thought you’d enjoy the view.”

And you do. You eat and watch as the sky turns lighter and the stars begin to fade from sight. You’ve experienced many sunrises ever since you woke up in this AU but seeing it from the mountain…it feels different. It takes you a moment to realize why.

“It’s not the AU we expected,” Geno says lowly from beside you, “but you deserve to see the sunrise from Ebott’s peak. At least once.”

Filled with emotion, you take his hand and give it a squeeze just as the sun begins to peek over the horizon. The sky is a mix of beautiful colors and you think how lucky you are to be here in this place with everyone. This place isn’t the home you had been yearning for, but it can be. With time.

“It’s perfect,” you tell Geno, and you mean it with all your soul. “Thank you, Geno. I'm happy that we're here together.”

Both of you turn back to the sunrise and smile.

* * *

Two skeletons stumble through a portal and land not too far from where you’re sitting, startling many deities. War immediately goes on the defensive and Geno readies himself to whisk you away, but you make no move to run.

“Dream? _Cross?!_ ”

They both look so different. Cross no longer hides into his hood. He’s weary, cautious, and – most notable of all – armed. At his side is Dream. The Guardian of Positivity no longer looks like a child playing pretend in his pajamas. His clothes are fitted for more movement and he’s completely removed his cape. The only accessories you can recognize are his crown and his belt.

Dream looks in terrible shape. Cross does his best to support him while brandishing one of his double swords defensively at the battle-ready War. 

“Please,” the guardian pleads to the group of deities, “please, we need help. Take me to your King. If we don’t act now, the Multiverse is going to collapse.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: the beginning of the end. 
> 
> Didn't I say it before? The Multiverse that you had journeyed and traversed is in danger. It needs help. But here is the question:
> 
> Stay safe with Geno or go out to Save it?


	31. Places to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course you'd choose to help Save the Multiverse, but the choice might already be out of your hands.
> 
> Alternatively: Asgore screws up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first:
> 
> Take a looksies! Fanart! A comic this time! harley-style did it again with her humorous interpretation of Dust, Horror, and Killer's reaction to Blank's backstory, which you can find [here!](https://zakyuu.tumblr.com/post/627896640846643200/back-at-it-again-with-the-posts-anyway-have)
> 
> Now, onto the more serious news: I have finally found a use for that Narrator.

Dream and Cross are ushered away before you can properly talk to them. You know that they are in good hands since Knowledge has the medical knowledge to take care of the worst of their injuries, but you still worry for them. Questions whirl in your head as Geno helps you down from the mountain. How did Dream and Cross get here? You vaguely recall Geno saying that this AU is closed off from the rest of the Multiverse, so how? And what attacked them to render the both them into that state? Nightmare? Or something else?

What is threatening the Multiverse?

Geno, to your surprise, does not bring you back to Life’s home as you had expected. Instead, he brings you to the Temple of the Pantheon. “…Geno?”

“The Guardian of Positivity is calling for our aid despite our King’s claim of neutrality. This is a Pantheon matter,” Geno explains to you patiently, “and you are part of it.”

“Even though I don’t know my own nature?”

“Even then,” he assures you as you both enter the temple. “Besides, you looked like you recognized them. Friends?”

You nod earnestly. “Yes!”

Geno’s eyelight softens. “All the more reason to be here, then.”

It doesn’t take long to find Dream and Cross. To your surprise, they’re already with Asgore. You frown when you notice that their wounds haven’t been treated. By the way Knowledge is wringing her hands, they wanted to see the king immediately and skipped healing all together.

“ – no time! It’s one thing when it’s my brother spreading negativity, but with _him_ it’s worse! No one else knows how to unravel AUs better than _he_ can. If we don’t act now, there will be nothing left _to_ protect!”

It’s so odd seeing Dream so grim and serious. But, then again, the end of the world _does_ deserve the weight that Dream is giving it. Meanwhile, Cross remains silent and steadfast at the Guardian’s side. He has yet to sheathe his weapons.

“Please, help us,” Dream pleads. “Before you closed away your AU, you made a promise to send a hero to aid us at our most helpless hour.”

“Patience, Guardian. They will come,” Asgore rumbles, trying to soothe the distressed skeleton and failing miserably. When you and Geno draw closer, his tense shoulders relax. “Ah, Miracle. I see that you have come. And you brought your apprentice! Wonderful! Just the godling we need!” He gestures over to you. “See, Dream? Your promised warrior is here.”

Geno’s smile is frozen.

“Your Majesty,” he stretches out the title slowly as if it is a great labor, “ _explain_.”

Asgore’s smile becomes strained.

Meanwhile, Dream and Cross’ gazes land on you. First, Dream looks upon you with unbridled hope. Then shock overtakes his features, quickly followed by disbelief. 

“Blank?!”

* * *

**[LOADING…]**

* * *

Dream cried in relief when he realized that his friend, who he thought had died in the hands of the Destroyer, was actually alive this entire time. “Blank, I’m so glad you’re all right!” he wails as he clings onto you tearfully. “I’m so _sorry._ I should’ve been more careful when I sent you away!”

“Blank…” For Cross, there is only confusion and disbelief. “I saw Error rip out your soul from your body. How did you even…?”

“Geno saved me before Error could shatter my soul,” you tell them before amending your statement, “or I guess you know him as Miracle. I was really lucky, huh?”

Dream laughs wetly as he wipes away his own tears. “Y-Yeah. Really lucky. I’m so _glad_ he got to you in time, Blank.”

“How **dare** you.”

While the three of you have done a decent job in ignoring what’s happening between Geno and the King of Gods until now, there is no denying the sudden spike of magic. You turn from Dream to see that Geno’s wings are flipping and fanning out in agitation. His smile is pulled back into a snarl that he usually reserved for Gaster back in the Save Screen.

“Miracle, be reasonable,” Asgore insists.

It’s the wrong thing to say.

“Reasonable. _Reasonable._ S’cuse me, but I don’t think I’m the one being _unreasonable_ here. _I_ ain’t the one callin’ the shots. That’s you. And from what I’m seeing, you’ve made some pretty shitty decisions recently. I admit it. I stood by most of ‘em, but that was ‘cause I had faith in you.” You hear Geno’s bones begin to rattle aggressively under his robes. War, who had been standing to the side, grips her spear warningly at the God of Miracles. You’re surprised to see Cross subtly grip his own weapons in Geno’s defense. “I can see now that my faith was a blind one. I should’ve _never_ trusted you.”

Asgore’s expression hardened at the God of Miracle’s words. “I have saved the child for you.”

**“No.”** Geno’s visible eyelight begins to glow as the glitches over his other socket begins to crackle along with his agitation. “You saved them for your own purpose. Don’t play those games with me, Asgore. You planned to use them like this all along, didn’t you? There’s no way you would’ve done all this without any gain. I already knew that. I just underestimated how _low_ you’d go in using my kid.”

“Miracle –

“All along, you intended to throw them away to the mercies of the multiverse’s messy problems. That’s all you created them for. To sacrifice and die.” You hear Geno snarl. “Well, I won’t let that happen. Over my dust.”

“…Geno –

**“Don’t call me that. You lost the right.”**

Even you flinch at the dangerous tone that Geno uses. You know now that forbidding the usage of a god’s true name is the ultimate sign of distrust. Suddenly, the entire situation has become more serious.

Geno grits his teeth. “They aren’t even ready to take on such a huge task. They woke up just recently. How did you think this was going to play out? Give them basic information, sprinkle them with some godly blessings, and send them on their way?”

“…”

“You fucking –

_“All right.”_ Dream steps in between the gods, calming them down with his own presence. “I think that’s enough negative emotion for today. Miracle? Why don’t you bring Blank back home? They feel exhausted. Meanwhile,” he turns his sweet smile to Asgore, “I think his majesty and I should clear up some things, yes? You see, I came here expecting help from a seasoned deity. I’m wondering why that is not the case.”

Asgore regards the Guardian solemnly. “All of my _seasoned deities_ , as you have put it, are irreplaceable to the function of this world. I cannot risk losing them to your war.”

“Your majesty, this is not a war. This is an _apocalypse._ ”

“I cannot be held responsible for you own shortcomings, Guardian. I have given you your godly champion. What more do you ask of me and my kingdom?”

Even as Geno tries to tug you away, you’re remain rooted on your spot. You can’t help but stare at Dream. Though his expression remains pleasant, you feel something shift in the air around him. The feelings that come after are…pleasant? No, that’s too light and passive of a description. It’s more of exuberance and joy. They’re supposed to be _good_ emotions except…well, now isn’t the time to be happy, is it?

And yet, uncontrollable giddiness bubbles up within you. The only reason why you aren’t throwing yourself into the emotion is because you are uncomfortably aware of how the emotions aren’t your own.

Asgore lets out a helpless giggle.

Dream tilts his head, smile never wavering. His golden eyelights glow brightly. “Do you think the fate of the Multiverse is a joke, your majesty?”

From the corner of your eye, you see Cross’ form stiffen even as his cheekbones begin to take a happy, purple flush. War and Knowledge are in no different shape, trying their best to get a grip on their emotions and failing merrily.

Asgore attempts to shake his head, but his giggling-turned-laughter impedes him from doing this successfully without losing his balance. The poor King of Gods tumbles onto the ground. You see overwhelmed tears begin to bead at the edges of his eyes. He’s still laughing.

And Dream is still smiling.

A deep-seated sense of _wrong_ resounds through your soul. It breaks you from the clutches of the alien emotions and drives you to ACT. You break out of Geno’s grip and rush over to Dream. You take him by the shoulder and make him face you.

“Cut it out.”

Dream’s eyelights are burning. But they go out the moment you finish your curt sentence. The strange, forced feelings get sucked out like a suffocated flame, leaving everyone in the room bereft and lost.

Finally, War breaks her silence. “What…was _that_?”

“Oh,” Dream says softly, “ _oh._ Oh no. I’ve done it again. I’m – I’m so sorry.”

You can feel him shaking. You take his hands to your own. “It’s okay,” you assure him, “you stopped when I told you to and no one got hurt.”

Well. The crying king of gods at both of your feet might suggest otherwise. But you think he sorta deserved it, so he doesn’t count.

“I think we should leave,” Cross announces, breaking his role as the silent guard. His tone leaves no room for argument as he rests a hand on Dream’s shoulder. “There’s too much negativity here and this AU is just filled with liars.”

“Cross…”

“No, Dream.” You can see how Cross’ eyelights soften at the sight of the Guardian’s tears. “You’ll just get hurt again. Let’s not waste our time here. Closed off or not, this AU is going to fall just like the rest. We need to keep moving before we fall with it.”

In that exact moment, you hear a cheerful _ding_ in your head.

* * *

**[LOADING COMPLETE]**

**[SCANNING…SCANNING…SCANNING…]**

**[IDENTITY CONFIRMED. Welcome, ~~NAME: ???~~ TITLE: Reader, POTENTIAL ROLE: Hero. The Multiverse is in shambles. It needs someone to help SAVE it. Do you accept your mission?]**

***Yes *No**

* * *

“I’ll do it.”

You only realize you’ve spoken when all eyes turn to you. You clear your throat and repeat yourself, feeling surer than you ever were before.

“I’ll do it. I’ll help you. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

* * *

**[Congratulations, Reader, for accepting your first mission!]**

* * *

“No.”

Geno speaks up, breaking the silence with a single word. He shakes his head. His wings, that had relaxed when Dream had intervened, are tense again. His sockets are dark and empty.

“Something like this…a new god like you shouldn’t be responsible for the fate of the _multiverse._ You don’t know what you’re signing up for. It’s dangerous. I know you want to help. You’re a good kid, but –

“I’m not,” you cut Geno off before he can say any more, “a kid. Not anymore.”

And it’s true. You’re no longer the tiny, outline of a child that Geno still sees you. Back then, you struggled to put your arms around Geno when you hugged him. Now? You’re certain that you can pick him up if you tried. Yes, your soul is still young and there is so much left to learn, but you’ve experienced too much to pretend to be innocent. You have traversed the Void. You have explored the Multiverse. You have been taken under Nightmare’s wing and survived.

“Your body might be older, but you’re still you,” Geno insists stubbornly. “You’re still my Frisk.”

“No,” you correct him, “I left behind ‘Frisk’ a long time ago in the Void to move forward. I had to sacrifice all of that so I could find you again.” Helplessness overtakes you as you try to find the right words to say. “I’m not them, Geno. They’re gone. They’ve been gone for a long time.”

“Kid – Fris – I…” Geno trails off, unsure and lost. “I don’t want to lose you. Not again. Please…just stay here. We can find another solution to all of this.”

You smile sadly.

“…No. I have places to go.”

* * *

The deities around you offer you their blessings to help you in your quest.

War, ever enthusiastic that her prediction came true, embellishes you with the Blessing of Battle. Despite your limited knowledge in wielding a blade bigger than a kitchen knife, her blessing lets you handle the sword she gives you with great proficiency.

Knowledge gives you with the Blessing of Wisdom. Apparently, it offers up basic information about _everyone_ in the Multiverse. Including new AUs and potential enemies. You thank her for her thoughtfulness.

Life, who came over in a hurry with Mercy to see you off, tearfully gifts you with the Blessing of Mercy. A fitting gift as a warrior-to-be. You're still unsure of what you are going to face with Dream and Cross, but you know the importance of Mercy, so you hold onto the blessing tightly.

The Death Brothers, summoned by the King himself from their deathly duties, offer you their shared Blessing of Survival. "It'll tell you when your chances of death is high when facing an enemy. If that happens, _run._ Respite and I don't want to reap your soul Reader, so _be careful,_ " Reaper warns you, clutching onto his scythe. You see Respite do the same.

Though you never truly got to know her, the Goddess of Fortune crawls up to you with an offering of her own. Her blessing is a material one, which...really shouldn't surprise you knowing that she is a Muffet honestly. She hands you a single piece of blue string and ties it around your wrist. Fortune calls it the Blessing of Chance. It works if you break it during your most desperate hour. "And that hour _will_ come, dearie," the goddess tells you before leaving it at that.

The King of All Gods offers you his Blessing of Protection, much to your surprise. Though it does not make you invulnerable to _all_ attacks, the blessing serves as the best defense a new godling like you can ever receive.

Unlike the others, who had offered their Blessings through a touch to your forehead, Geno pulls you into a tight hug, which you immediately return. You’re almost afraid that he’ll never let you go, but he eventually relaxes his hold to face you.

“To Reader, I offer my Blessing of Victory,” Geno says, magic lacing every spoken word. “Let it help them find victory no matter the obstacle or enemy. Let it whisk them away from all dangers and light the way to friends. Let it lead them back home safely.”

He takes a shaky breath and holds back his tears.

_“Please,_ come back safely.”

“I’ll come back,” you promise as the blessing settles into your body. “After I help Dream save the Multiverse, I’ll come back, Geno.”

“Okay.” Geno’s voice is weak and watery as he slowly lets you go. “Be safe out there, kiddo. I’ll be waiting for you.”

You back away from Geno slowly before you finally reach the portal where Dream and Cross are waiting. They both take you by the hand and pull you through.

* * *

**[Bonus Feature: A sidekick to help you in your success! Any failure in the mission will result with him being deleted! Work hard, Narrator!]**

* * *

**(What…what am I doing here?)**

* * *

**End of Act V: Deity**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, he will have a hand in helping clean the mess. He's the one who _made_ it after all. Don't worry, him trying to sabotage you will have dire consequences for his existence.
> 
> Good luck. The Multiverse needs your help more than ever.


	32. X Event Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You reunite with old friends and learn what happened when you were asleep.
> 
> Oh. And you have a new companion. It's mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 5th Undertale Anniversary, everyone!
> 
> WARNING: Spoilers to Underverse. Go and watch it first if you don't want your experience ruined!

On the other side of the portal is a familiar sight: The Omega Timeline.

It’s been a while since you’ve last been here. Back then, you’d been a lost soul trying to find your way around the vast Multiverse. Now, you’ve seen so much and learned much more. You’re different and you’re not too sure that you’ve changed for the better. Will your friends think of you any less for being who you are now?

Sensing your complex emotions, Dream squeezes your hand and offers you a comforting smile. “You’re going to be fine. A lot of people are going to be happy to hear that you’re alive.”

Cross doesn’t say anything, but you feel him give your hand a squeeze too before letting go. He goes to greet another Sans wearing a hooded trench coat. Despite the scar over his left eye socket, he doesn’t look like any Fell counterpart. He’s friendly with Cross, at least.

“That’s Epic,” Dream explains to you. “Originally, he came from _Epictale_ but he moved into the Omega Timeline after his own universe was destroyed by his Gaster. He’s been helping out in managing the monsters and humans who manage to escape from their failing AUs.”

“Bruh! Another handful of AUs just crashed and burned while you and Dream bruh were gone. We’re literally _swimming_ with refugees right now.” He waves around a rubber chicken that he magically procured from nowhere to enunciate his point. “Where were you guys?!”

“Dream and I were getting help from the Deities after we lost _Birdtale_ , Epic. It wasn’t like we were lying about twiddling our thumbs.”

Epic makes a disbelieving sound. “You mean da ones from _Reapertale_? Bruh, aren’t they, like, totally neutral and above all of ‘dis? How did ya manage to convince them to finally throw us a bone? Is it the God of Miracles? _Please_ tell me it’s the God of Miracles, dude.”

“No,” Cross says ruefully, “too important to risk losing. But! We have the next best thing. His apprentice. Epic, meet Blank. They’re the newest member of the Pantheon and they were created to save all of us from this mess. Literally.”

“Blank? _Bruh._ The same Blank? I’ve been hearing about?” Epic stares at you in a way that makes you feel a little self-conscious. “Dude, I thought you were _dead_.”

Cross sends his friend a scandalized look. “Dude, you can’t just say that to a person you just met what the heck.”

“But _bruh_ , it’s true, ain’t it?” Epic turns back to you with an unrepentant expression, much to Cross’ chagrin. “So are you a zombie now or – ?”

You laugh. “No. Not a zombie. It was a near thing, but I didn’t die. Ge – I mean, _Miracle_ saved me in the last second before the Destroyer could do anything else to me. I’m glad that Cross made it out safely too.”

Cross makes a face. “Not quite, but I made it out in the end.”

He’s purposefully being vague, but you don’t push.

“I should go now. I need to update the others about what’s happened.” Dream smiles at all of you apologetically. “Cross, Epic, would you both mind bringing Blank to a spare room where they can rest? They had a long day.”

* * *

Now that the excitement and rush is gone, you are left alone in a spare guestroom of one of the Omega Timeline inhabitants. You feel exhausted, but you haven’t been able to sleep.

Because of the voices.

You’ve been able to hear them ever since you ‘accepted’ your mission to save the Multiverse. One is helpful and informative. It only speaks from time to time and only when it’s necessary. But the other…

**(What is she planning by putting me here? Isn’t she afraid that I can take control like I did the last time? I thought she wanted to ‘teach me a lesson’ and all that. What can she gain by making me the unnoticed spectator again?)**

It’s a little annoying.

“I can hear you, you know,” you finally say.

**(…Oh.)**

“Good, you can hear me. Can you please be quiet? I need to get some sleep, thanks.” You roll over and close your eyes, hoping that the voice would finally shut up. 

* * *

The voice doesn’t shut up.

For some reason, it’s outraged by how you blew it off and didn’t let you get a wink of sleep. You find that it’s petty and mean like that. And bossy to boot. If you weren’t so exhausted, you would have sympathized with its situation, but now? You’re still tired and it’s the voice’s fault.

**(The entire time. You’ve been able to hear me the entire time.)**

“Well, yeah,” ever since you accepted the mission as the ‘hero’, you’ve been hearing it yammering on and on in the background, “you’re not exactly quiet.”

**( _And you didn’t think to acknowledge me?_ )**

What a drama queen.

“It’s not like I can suddenly drop everything to talk to the voice in my head. People would think I’m crazy. Besides, you’re mean.”

**(I can’t believe you.)**

You think that the affronted tone is completely unwarranted. The voice is the one being ridiculous. It wasn’t even _that_ long since it was saddled with you. Still, you know that _both_ of you can’t be rude forever or else the conversation will go nowhere. And you need to sleep eventually. 

“What’s your name?” You pause. “… _Do_ you have a name?”

**(No, I don’t. I was never given one. But you may call me Narrator.)**

“Narrator?” You raise a brow. “That sounds more like a title than a name.”

**(Yes, just as you are the Reader, I am the Narrator. If you remembered me, you would know that.)**

You have absolutely no idea what Narrator is trying to insinuate, but you are way too tired to chase after an answer. It’ll probably just avoid answering anyways, just to be difficult. You can tell by its tone that it is still upset with you. By this point, you won’t be getting any rest.

With a sigh, you push yourself out of bed. Then, you start making your way out of the cozy home.

**(Wait. Where are you going?)**

“Well, since _someone_ isn’t letting me get to sleep, I’m going to go and find Dream. There is so much I need to learn about the danger that’s threatening the AUs and I have a feeling that there isn’t much more time to waste.”

You step out of the house and into the street. It’s still a little disconcerting to step out into a place with no sky, but you push through it. There are enough houses, restaurants, and other buildings to combat against the blankness of this place.

“Hello, Blank. It’s been a while.”

You can’t help but smile when you are met with a familiar pair of Void-filled eyes. It’s Core.

It’s so odd that you have to kneel down to properly give the omnipresent child a hug. Still, you hold onto Core and give them a tight squeeze. It’s been a long time since you last saw them, after all. They return it just as tightly. “I thought you were lost. You went to places I couldn’t follow. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to help you, Blank.”

“Blank!” A small figure crashes into your side, making you fall over. Thankfully, Core isn’t taken down with you. The perks of being everywhere at once. TK’s tearful face comes into view when you look down. “It’s really you, right? This isn’t some sick joke Epic is pulling?” When you nod, he lets out a relieved wail and buries his face into your side. “I thought I was _never_ going to see my best friend again! They said you died!”

You chuckle and pat his head. Stars and skies, he looks so small now. “Don’t worry. You heard wrong. I didn’t die.”

TK gasps and stares at you with shock brimming in his eyelights.

“Blank, you can talk!”

Oh. Right. That’s supposed to be a new thing.

“Yes.” You gesture to yourself. “It’s a new body. The gods of Reapertale gave it to me as well as my deityhood. They made me into someone who can help.” You look between the two. “And I want to help. But that means knowing what’s happening with the Multiverse. Can you tell me?”

Core nods. “Of course. But I believe this is a story better told with Dream and Cross. They are the ones who are most involved, so it’s only fitting.”

“Yeah, we’ll take you to them. But, before we do that –” TK punches you on the shoulder with a scowl “– I _told_ you not to use those clocklocks all willy-nilly! Stuff like that creates new timelines! You could’ve done some real damage, Blank! I can’t believe you used it on other Sanses! _Twice!_ ”

“They’re safe, right?” You can’t help but ask.

TK huffs. “Not even an ‘I’m sorry’,” he mumbles. Then, he adds a resigned “Yeah, they’re alive and happy thanks to you. But don’t think that just because everything turned out fine this time that it’ll be all hunky dory in the next! I had to scramble around to make time flow normally again! Unexpected timelines aren’t a joke.”

“Yes, I won’t do it again,” you promise as you smile at TK’s implication that both of you will go on adventures together after this is all over.

“Yeah, you better.”

* * *

TK and Core takes you to a meeting room where Dream and Cross wait for you at a circular table.

It takes time, but you listen to the entire story from them. It all begins, surprisingly, after your ‘death’. Error had taken his soul and would have taken his life too if Ink didn’t sweep in to save him. Much to the Royal Guard’s shame, he recounts how he didn’t react well to the loss of his soul and the prospect that he would soon die without it as every monster does.

“I took half of a Sans’ soul so I could survive,” Cross recalls with shame mottling his features. “It was Chara’s idea – half of our soul was his – but I still went with it. I was that desperate. Then, with Nightmare’s help, I proceeded to make a mess of every other AU I stepped into just so I could attempt to recreate my AU. Underfell, Underswap, _Outertale_ …the list goes on.”

**(Ah, yes, I remember this plotline. Underverse. Predictable, really. Why else would Cross tell this story? He’s the centerpiece of the X Event, after all.)**

“There was no one to stop us. We stripped Underfell and Underswap of its codes. We took half of Swap!Chara’s soul. We spread so much mayhem and negativity to the point that Nightmare recruited us into his gang.” Cross grimaces. “Well, he recruited _Chara_. I was in the backseat for most of it by that time, so it was all a blur.”

**(What?)**

“When I finally came to, my soul was back and Chara was gone. Nightmare never told me what happened to him.” He sighs. “With Chara gone, the power to Overwrite was gone too. Any hope I had in getting my home back was…shattered. I was devastated. Lost. So, I stayed with Nightmare, doing his dirty work.” His eyelights soften as he glances at Dream. “But then, Dream helped me.”

“You helped yourself,” Dream corrects him, “you’re the one who made the decision to leave my brother in the end.”

**(No. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. What about Ink? Where was he when all of this happened? He was supposed to try and stop Cross with Sans.)**

You repeat Narrator’s question. “What about Ink? Isn’t he the Multiverse’s protector? Where was he when Cross and his Chara was doing all of this?”

To your surprise, Dream’s expression darkens at the mention of the artist. It’s a far cry of the admiration you had seen when he spoke of his friend. “Ink? Blank, _Ink_ was the one who _caused_ all of this. He, along with XGaster, were trying to start something called ‘the X Event’. Some kind of game. But he lost interest in it at the last second and left behind this mess.

“First, it was the imbalance of emotions, giving my brother his power to terrorize as he pleases. Then, it was _half_ of the AUs being destroyed without any warning. And _then,_ as if the situation wasn’t miserable enough, it’s the spreading of the infection that’s quickly breaking down what’s left of the Multiverse –” Dream stops himself and lets out a slow breath. The anger and betrayal in his features slowly ebb away, leaving behind a resigned sort of calm. “Do you have any other questions, Blank?”

**(No.)**

“It’s a lot, I know,” TK says understandingly from the side as you let all the information sink in. “You’ve been gone for a long time and hearing all of this at once is a bit of a downer. Especially what Ink did to us. Take your time, buddy.”

**(No. No. No. NO! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!)**

You eventually find your voice. You ignore Narrator’s cries as you ask your next question.

“Out of all of the problems you just listed, what should we focus on fixing first?”

Cross and Dream are staring at you now. _Everyone_ – Core, TK, and Epic are looking at you in a way that they haven’t been before. Did you say something wrong? Eventually, Dream shakes himself out of his surprise.

“Nightmare. I need to find him and stop him from spreading any more negativity before he strains the Multiverse more than he already has. He’s disappeared into his dimension a while back and I can’t reach him.” He smiles self-depreciatingly. “But it’s impossible. I don’t know where it is. I can’t reach it, no matter how hard I try. I failed at the only duty the Multiverse gave me.”

You realize that Dream is near giving up. Everyone around you – Cross, Epic, TK, and even Core look disheartened at the Guardian of Positivity’s words.

_Ding_

You nearly jump in your seat at the unexpected sound that chimes in your head. A voice – not Narrator – sounds in your ears as it makes a cheerful announcement.

* * *

**[A new mission is available! Would you like to see what it is?]**

* * *

With a blink, you mentally express the affirmative. To your surprise, instead of a voice, a transparent screen appears in front of you. It’s no Reset button, but you have a feeling that it is just as powerful in your hands.

You read what’s in front of you.

* * *

**[Secondary Mission Unlocked: A Tale of Two Brothers.]**

**[Objective: Find Nightmare. Restore balance.]**

**[Accept?]**

***Yes *No**

* * *

You press **Yes**.

A portal opens behind you. Its sudden appearance doesn’t surprise you as much as it should. A certainty settles in your gut as you stand from your seat. You take Dream’s hand and tug him toward the portal. You gesture Cross to follow.

“Let’s go.”

“Blank?” Dream looks lost. “Where are you trying to take us?”

“Where else? To your brother.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right! First stop in a long while! 
> 
> How do you like the new Omega Timeline? It's still serving its purpose as a safe place, but now it's filled and rightly an AU of its own with the rest of the Multiverse in peril. Thankfully, as a patch of the AntiVoid, it's pretty much endless, so space isn't an issue.
> 
> It's ya boi, [Epic!](https://undertale-au.fandom.com/wiki/Epictale) Memer, Janitor, Security Guard, and Cross' best buddy for life, this Sans has the power of anime and god at his side! He's created by [Yugogeer012](https://yugogeer012.tumblr.com) and his AU comic is still in the process of being updated! Go check it out if you're interested in learning more about him!
> 
> Meanwhile, the events of Underverse has changed: Ink noped out before it all started, leaving Cross and Chara to wreak chaos throughout the Multiverse while the AUs suffered the consequences. Of course, they never manage to finish 'creating' their AU. Cross stayed with the Bad Sanses for a while before Dream convinced him to join his side.
> 
> The Star Sanses, of course, have disbanded. Ink is MIA and neglecting his duties as a Guardian, Blue is trying his best in the sidelines, and Dream is desperately scrambling to keep everything stable.
> 
> See what the Narrator did? It's a mess. But don't worry. You'll fix it.


	33. Tale of Two Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You return to Nightmare's Castle with Dream and Cross in tow. Nothing goes as planned, not that you had a solid plan to begin with.

The portal doesn’t lead directly into the castle as you had hoped, but you recognize the dreary ruins you used to look at from your room’s window way back when. Behind you, Dream lets out a wounded noise.

“Oh, Night,” he cries, “you never left, did you?”

It hits you then. This place is Dream’s original universe. _Nightmare’s_ original universe. These ruins used to be a village filled with monsters and humans. The dreary sky used to have sunlight and starlight. And where the castle now stands, there used to be a tree on a hill.

**(Dreamtale.)**

Narrator sounds at your ear in confirmation. You’re surprised to hear its voice so soon. It was so distraught about the state of the Multiverse the last time you heard it speak.

“Dream? Dream, what happened?” Poor Cross looks so lost as he tries to comfort the sobbing Guardian. “Is this place hurting you? Should we leave? Blank, I think we should leave.”

“No! No, I’m fine! I p-promise!” Dream warbles, desperately wiping away his tears. “I just – I need to see my brother, Cross. I need to see Night. I need him to _know_ that I –” _love him_ , you think he means to say. It’s that or, _I’m sorry._

**(A lot of negative emotions for the Guardian of Positivity. He’s usually has more control than this. Things really must be dire.)**

You tilt your head. “But we have to fight him?” Because of the overwhelming negativity? For the Multiverse? That was the plan, right?

Dream cries even louder at your words. Cross sends a helpless look at your way.

“Okay, okay, no fighting,” you amend quickly, “…talking, then? We can try to reason with him?” you try, “I mean, no one wants the destruction of the entire Multiverse, right? We can try for a temporary truce or something.”

“What Blank says,” Cross immediately agrees, though you can tell by his expression that he’s doubtful that Nightmare would forego his power for a greater cause.

Dream, on the other hand, looks hopeful. “Really?”

You nod.

Dream manages to gather up his emotions and put away his tears.

“Cross.”

The warrior addressed immediately stands in attention. “Yes.”

“Let’s go.” Dream’s eyes are set on the lonely castle. “We don’t have any more time to waste.”

* * *

You knock. It’s the polite thing to do, despite Cross saying otherwise.

“You’re going to make us lose the element of surprise!” He hisses as he snatches your hand away from the wooden doors mid-knock. “Are you _crazy_?!”

“What surprise? Nightmare already knows we’re here. He always knows what’s going on in his dimension. Or did that change while I was asleep?”

Cross looks like he swallowed a lemon. So no then. “Still,” he grits out, “we shouldn’t just _announce_ that we’re here. Besides, it’s not like they’re just going to open the doors and let us in!”

The doors swing open.

“…”

“…”

“Not a word, Blank.”

You keep your expression, well, blank. No matter how tempting it would be to throw in a snarky remark, you know now isn’t the right time. So, you let Cross keep what is left of his dignity. Dream hides a smile behind a gloved hand.

You’ve never walked through the large set of doors at the entrance before. It’s a new experience, though you find that you’re not really a fan on how it creaks open and slams shut.

You sense the attack moments before it comes. Reaper and Respite’s Blessing of Survival lets out a minor spike under your skin as you dodge out of the way from a blade’s strike. Your eyes widen when you see Killer. He’s completely shed his outer coat, leaving behind his black turtleneck. His attacks are more fluid without it.

Cross blocks his next strike.

Killer might be smiling, but you’ve been around him long enough to recognize when his true emotions break through from the sea of apathy. And right now? He’s downright _furious_ at Cross.

“You have a lot of gall to walk back in here, Cross,” he sneers. “Thought boss locked you out after you turned traitor. I don’t know how you managed to crawl back in, but I’ll make sure to fix that. _Permanently._ ”

Cross meets every strike with a stony expression. Dream, on the other hand, doesn’t react to Killer’s threat as calmly. His eyes blaze bright golden as he summons his bow and arrow to aim at the other monster.

Killer notices the unspoken threat but doesn’t seem to care as he continues to slash at Cross. “Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head, sunshine. After I take ol’ Crossy down, you’re next.”

You put a hand on Dream’s arrow, stopping him from intervening. You know all too well that Killer is skilled enough to parry both attacks no problem. He’d probably even enjoy the challenge or not care about the risks.

**(You still care about Killer.)**

Yes, you do. And you hope with all your heart that the care that he’s shown for you is true.

**(Idiot. Fool. You’re still making the same mistakes. Just because he was kind to you before doesn’t mean he will be now!)**

You come between Cross and Killer, blocking the next blow with your sword. You mentally thank War for her Blessing of Battle and Asgore for his Blessing of Protection since they are the only things keeping you from being shredded into ribbons. Your intervention was reckless, but you have faith. Cross reluctantly backs off to Dream’s side after Killer pauses mid-attack. “Oh? You’re new. And you’re pretty good with that sword. Are you going to be my new playmate?”

You feel a tug on your soul as you’re pulled into an Encounter and –

“…Blank?”

Killer drops his knife. You immediately sheathe your sword. Now that your hands are free, you begin to sign to him.

_Killer. It’s been a while. How are you?_

It takes a bit for Killer to muster up a choked up “Good” before he crushes you into a hug. You’re getting a lot of those lately. He probably thought you were dead too. You pat his back a few times before wiggling out of the hug. As happy as you are to see that Killer had genuinely missed you, you’re running on limited time.

_We need to speak with Nightmare. M-U-L-T-I-V-E-R-S-E. Danger. Need his help. Need your help._ Then, you finish with a vocal, “Please?”

Killer starts at the sound of your voice. “I…” he struggles while looking from you to your companions behind you and then back to you again. “Fine, I’ll take you to the boss,” he finally agrees, “but only you. Not them. I don’t trust them.”

You hear Cross and Dream start to protest behind you, but you cut them off.

“Okay, Killer. Lead the way.”

* * *

“You look different.” Killer looks at you as if you’ll disappear on him any second. It’s a little surreal that you’re freely walking through the castle. Despite living there for a while, you haven’t actually been given free access to anywhere outside the dining room, meeting room, kitchen and the hallway to your own room. “You’re…taller. You’ve grown out of your stripes.”

You try not to flush at how proud he looks at that. He’s acting like a couple more inches and foregoing stripes is supposed to be something amazing. “I wasn’t awake to see myself grow. When I woke up, I was like this.”

“So, you’re still baby.”

“Am not.” You do your best not to pout as you deny the label Dust had saddled you with ever since they all learned the truth. Judging by Killer’s thrilled laughter, you fail. “I’m really not. I have no idea why Dust got it in his head that I was. Where are Dust and Horror anyways?”

And then, it’s like you reached over and stole away Killer’s smile with your last question.

“They left.” He begins fiddling with his knife. It’s different than the one he used to fight you and Cross. “They couldn’t take being here anymore. I was the only one who stayed.”

**(Nightmare let them leave? Without consequence?)**

Before you can ask Killer to explain, he stops in front of a set of doors. He slowly opens them and gestures you to step inside. Despite the darkness, you can tell that the room is extravagant. You’ve always known that Nightmare has fine taste, but the sheer size of the room and bed is a little too much in your own opinion.

“Killer? What took you so long?”

On the bed, dwarfed under Killer’s missing coat, is a shivering skeleton who you’ve only seen in Dream’s visions. He’s not as young, but he still has the same delicate statue you usually attribute to Dream. Nightmare, you realize, this is Nightmare before he ate the apples.

Purple eyelights at you warily when they realize that you aren’t Killer.

“Who are you?” he demands. If he still had his tentacles, they would be flicking in irritation.

“I was your intern.”

Shock comes first. Then, disbelief. “…No. You can’t be. Blank is dead. Error killed them.”

“Surprise.”

Nightmare’s disbelief flattens. “You have more cheek than I remember. You never used to talk back to me. Or talk at all, really. Where did all that fear and respect go?”

You smile. It’s all teeth and no kindness. “Well, you _did_ lock me up in a padded room for stars-know how long and reenacted my worst memories for the sole purpose of making me miserable.” You see Nightmare shy away at that. He buries himself deeper into Killer’s coat as if it could swallow him up and take him away. A part of you wants to chase after his discomfort and make him suffer just as much as he did to you.

But you don’t. It happened. It hurt. But now? You’re going to let it go.

“Nightmare,” you gentle your voice, but he still flinches, “I am not here to punish you. It sucked and you were a jerk, but I’m past that. I have a more important reason for visiting you. It’s the spread of negativity, Nightmare. It’s damaging the Multiverse. You need to stop.” You shoot a meaningful look at his form. “…that’s what I _planned_ to say to you, but that’s obviously not the case.”

“ _Obviously_ ,” Killer snorts as he enters the room. In his hands is a tray full of food and a warm drink. He places it on Nightmare’s lap. “Lunch.”

Nightmare snatches the warm drink first and cradles the mug to his chest. He takes a ginger sip.

“What happened?” You ask them. “You’re bedridden. You’re shivering. You’re…not goopy. I can’t believe I’m asking this, but is losing your goop not healthy for you?”

Nightmare sniffs disdainfully at your clumsy description of his previous appearance. “It’s _tree sap_ , you uncultured swine, not ‘goop’.” He takes another sip from his mug. “And as to what happened…Dream happened.”

“Dream?”

“Yes. Did my brother never tell you?” There is a wry twist in Nightmare’s smile, much to your growing trepidation. He sets aside his tray and pulls up his nightshirt. You let out a sympathetic hiss when you see an arrowhead – a spearhead? – embedded into the left side of his lower ribs. “I was so sure he would be gloating over his last victory over me.”

The weapon embedded into his bones shines with overwhelming positivity. You can see it slowly leeching away at Nightmare’s negativity. It’s hurting him. Weakening him.

Dream did this?

**(Well this plot just took a sudden dark turn.)**

“It purifies negativity faster than I can consume it. Once, I had the power of 999 apples. Now, I barely have one because of this thing. I can’t pull it out. It only makes things worse. So now I starve and slowly waste away. It doesn’t matter if all the AUs in the Multiverse are miserable. I can’t consume or control any negativity in this state.” Nightmare pulls his nightshirt back over the wound. “For once, I’m not the one to blame with the sad state of the Multiverse and you came here for nothing. Satisfied?”

Not in the _slightest_.

“You can’t die.”

Nightmare raises a brow at your statement. “Oh? You’ll find that I certainly can. And the Multiverse would be all the happier for it.”

“You’re giving up.” Your voice sounds flat. Nightmare shrugs and takes the mug up again to take another sip. “It’s inevitable. I’ve tried everything I could to stave off its effects and weaken it enough to pull it out. Nothing worked. So now, I’m going to spend the rest of my days doing what I enjoy.”

“You just don’t want to ask your brother for help,” you accuse him, making him flinch once again. He’s strangely far more expressive in this form. “It’s Dream’s weapon, so it’s natural to assume that he would be able to take it out.”

You see raw fear on Nightmare’s face at the very suggestion. He shakes his head. “No. Dream will just finish the job if he ever sees me again. I know it. I’d rather die a slow death here than give him the satisfaction of finally taking me down.”

“Nightmare, I don’t know the reasons why Dream did what he did before, but that’s not going to happen right now,” you insist, thinking back to how the other twin cried for his brother. “Your brother loves you.”

“Dream **hates** me!”

Nightmare’s shout silences you.

“And he has every right to.”

To your surprise, you see that he’s crying. From your peripheral, you see Killer stiffen. He angles his head toward you. _Do something,_ you can practically hear him demand. You can’t really blame him for his discomfort. Nightmare’s emotional vulnerability must not be a common sight.

**(Déjà vu.)**

You agree with Narrator. You can see a lot of Dream in this Nightmare’s mannerisms when they’re distressed. You resist shaking your head. One brother who fears that his love isn’t known and another who’s afraid that he’s lost it. What a mess.

“Dream doesn’t hate you,” you repeat yourself, “…but you won’t believe me unless you see it for yourself. Which is why you need to talk to him. Let him help you take that out. He’s here in the castle, waiting for you. Your brother misses you, Nightmare.”

Nightmare somehow manages to scoff through his tears. “I already said I’d rather die. Tell Dream to leave. If he doesn’t, then I’ll _make_ him.” He gestures to Killer, who looks on to the conversation with a conflicted look on his face.

**(Nightmare is prideful, and there’s already so much bad blood between the brothers. It’s going to take more than that to convince him to meet with Dream.)**

“You’re a coward.”

**(I just told you that he’s a prideful one! What are you doing?!)**

_“What.”_ A dangerous glint enters Nightmare’s eyes. You remain unphased and unmoved. You worked with that threatening aura without pay for _months_ (which is ridiculous, according to Geno who had been offended by your behalf). It didn’t cow you back when he was goopy and it won’t work now.

“You can’t face your brother. You run and hide from him. It’s always been that way.”

“Dream and I have clashed longer than you were even a _thought_. I chased him through the Multiverse just as often as he has with me. I’ve amassed more followers and created a stronghold while he remains a vagabond. I fail to understand how exactly I _ran_ and _hid_ from him.”

You gesture around yourself. “This castle.” Then, you point to Killer. “Your followers.” Finally, you point to Nightmare himself. “And you. Your overwhelming power over negativity. All of these things are just barriers, aren’t they? You hide behind them and make them stronger so _nothing_ can hurt you again. It doesn’t matter if others fall into despair as consequence. It doesn’t matter if you’re pushing away your brother no matter how much he reaches out. As long as you’re secure and in control, it’s all good.” You take in Nightmare’s weakened state. “But that didn’t do anything, did it? Your stubbornness is actually killing you. What’s the point of all of this?”

“…”

“Let Dream help you.”

Killer finally speaks up. “Boss,” he pleads, “please.”

Nightmare gives him an unreadable look before letting out a resigned sigh. “Fine. I’m dead either way.”

* * *

**(I can’t believe that worked.)**

Nightmare and you wait in a room you’ve never been to before: The Library. You try not to gape at the sheer size of the area. Shelves upon shelves of books cover the walls and fills up the room. The floorboards are well maintained and smooth. The lighting is almost comforting, despite being part of the castle.

And yet, at the center of it all, is a hill with a stump. It seems completely out of place in a room like this – uncharacteristic to Nightmare’s usual preference to opulence and cleanliness.

**(That stump was once Dream and Nightmare’s mother. Nim, I think she was called before her transformation into the Tree of Feelings. I’m surprised Nightmare bothered to keep her remnants in his castle.)**

Nightmare ignores you as he limps over to the hill. He stubbornly climbs it until he reaches the stump, where he finally rests. His nightshirt is open and the large arrowhead pulses at his side, weakening him even more.

The door slams open, revealing a distressed Dream. He looks around with an almost maniac fervor before his eyes land on Nightmare. First, there’s shock. And then, Dream bursts with overwhelming joy. He immediately scrambles over to his brother, making the other flinch and curl into himself.

Dream notices. He stops just in front of his brother and gets down on his knees so he can see Nightmare properly.

“Night. Nighty. What happened to you? What –” he cuts himself off with a gutted noise when his eyes land on Nightmare’s side. “Did I do this to you?”

Somehow, Nightmare manages to muster up a weak nod. He looks confused by the grief and self-loathing that covers Dream’s face. You think this might be the first time he’s expressed such negative emotions in front of his brother.

“I am sorry. _I am so sorry._ I lost control of myself back then. I let my own positivity overwhelm my senses and hurt so many people in the process. I didn’t know that I hurt you too. I didn’t mean to – I’m sorry, Night. Please, forgive me.”

Nightmare is no longer in his curled-up position. Now, he’s staring at Dream with a lost look. “You’re sorry? But I thought…”

“This reunion is nice and emotional and all, but Boss is dying,” Killer interrupts the moment as ruthlessly as he dusts monsters during missions. You don’t blame him. Nightmare’s bones are beginning to look chalky. Cross isn’t as understanding and sends a glare at his ex-colleague for his bluntness.

Dream gasps and turns his brother over. Before Nightmare could react, he deftly plucks the arrowhead out and tosses it over his shoulder, immediately focusing to close the wound with healing magic.

You, being the closest, catch the arrowhead. A cheerful chirp sounds in your head.

* * *

**[Received New ITEM: Apple Stone!]**

**[With this ITEM equipped, you now have the power of 998 apples of emotions in your hands. You can control Positivity and Negativity around you at will! You can also use attack abilities originally exclusive to the Twins of Nim.]**

* * *

**(You’ll be able to achieve far more with power like this in your hands! Not just Dream’s abilities, but Nightmare’s too! What a boon! Perhaps the Multiverse can be saved after all. And maybe some more.)**

You hold the item gingerly. Now that it no longer has the glow of Dream’s positivity, it looks innocuous and small in your hands even though you know it’s anything but. This tiny thing contains the energy of 998 out of the 1000 apples from the Tree of Feelings. This…is a lot of power.

**(Wait. What are you doing? Reader. Reader? Reader?!)**

You place the item onto the closest surface, which turns out to be the stump. You decide that you won’t be keeping something like this to yourself. These apples belong to Dream and Nightmare, after all. You’ll properly give it back to them after everything calms down.

“Why are you being…so nice to me?”

“I love you,” you hear Dream tell his brother, “and I’m sorry if anything ever made you think otherwise.”

“But…but I corrupted the apples. I made everyone afraid. _I turned you into stone._ ”

Dream gives his brother a patient smile.

“Accidentally. You accidentally turned me into stone.”

“Whatever. I still hurt you. Many times! If you’re smart, you shouldn’t bother with a brother like me. You should leave and go back to your friends. It’s the logical thing to do.” Nightmare huffs. And yet, you hear an undercurrent of fear in his voice. Dream hears it too. “Night, you’ve always protected me and my feelings when we were little. But I’m not as naïve and clueless as I was back then. I _won’t_ let my ignorance hurt you ever again. Let me stay? Please?”

Nightmare turns away. “Do what you like. It’s not like you’ll listen to me anyways.”

You hear Killer stifle a snicker at Nightmare’s attempts in looking unaffected only to be jostled by Cross. “Don’t you dare ruin this moment,” he hisses to the other skeleton, “this is the happiest Dream’s ever been in a while.”

“Hey, who do you think I am? Even I know when to read then mood. ‘Sides, Boss looks happy too. I won’t interrupt that.”

And Killer doesn’t.

Something else does.

A loud CRACK sounds in the room, startling everyone. Nightmare cries out when he sees the source. The large stump that had sat on top of the hill is now broken into pieces. You see the same grief mirrored in Dream’s eyelights as he grips his brother in comfort.

But then – “Wait, what’s that?” Cross, who had rushed over with Killer, catches sight of something in the middle of the broken pieces of the stump. You take a closer look and gasp.

A sapling.

Something seems to shift in the air. A lightness? No. More like…a balance. Dream and Nightmare are the most sensitive to this. They crawl towards the young plant and tug away the rotten remnants of a tree long dead so they can take a better look.

**(…Did you just accidentally revive the Tree of Feelings?!)**

Oh. Right. The Apple Stone you placed onto the stump. Except, it might’ve **not** been just a stone. It might’ve been a seed instead. So you actually _grew_ a new Tree of Feelings.

* * *

**[Objective Accomplished! Great job, Reader!]**

* * *

You did good? You think? It was an accident, though. Does that not make it good anymore?

Meanwhile, Dream and Nightmare haven’t taken their eyes off of the sapling.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Killer smiles impishly at the enraptured twins. “…So, I guess this makes you two new tree parents – ow! Cross! Stop that! It was just a joke! Ease up on the violence, asshole!”

“What. Did. I. Say. About. Ruining. Moments?! _Killer._ ”

You laugh at the bantering in front of you. No one had to fight in the end. You’re glad that everything turned out okay.

* * *

**[Time-Sensitive Mission is Available! Warning! You have only 30 seconds to accept and fulfill your new task before it disappears for good! Choose wisely, Reader.]**

**[Objective: Return to Reapertale and SAVE it from a threat]**

**[Accept?]**

***Yes *No**

* * *

You immediately press **Yes** and launch yourself through the portal. You hear your friends cry out in concern and surprise behind you, but you barely pay it any mind. You’ll explain the situation to them later.

Now? You need to make sure Geno and everyone else are okay.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Narrator, after Reader receives the Apple Stone: You can use this.  
> Reader: Hng, too much responsibility. How about I just return it to its original owners?  
> Narrator: NO!
> 
> Also, fun fact, stones - not the mineral types, mind you - are another word for pits, which hold seeds. While apples don't have pits, I decided that I don't care. Apple Stone sounds so much cooler than Apple Seeds. It's a magical tree anyways, so it doesn't have to adhere to real world rules. 
> 
> Joku may have her own canonical version of the Apple Incident and other headcannons, but - like many other AUs that make contact with the rest of the Multiverse - the fandom took its own spin on Dreamtale and the twins, so I'm joining the bandwagon. For me, Dreamtale is completely wrought with negativity and turned into Nightmare's personal dimension years after he takes it over. Dream turned into stone by the overwhelming negativity after his brother's apple mukbang (I mean, 999 out of 1000 apples, yeesh). He only emerged after his body is transferred into a more positive AU through unknown circumstances. Perhaps Ink did it at the request of the Creators. Or Core, since the Omega Timeline is a generally positive space. Or maybe the villagers, fearful that the little kid they bullied is going to pick them off one-by-one (they're right), got their hands on a magic book and sent Dream away with hopes that he'll come back in time to save them (he doesn't). You guys choose.
> 
> After eating their respective apples (Dream: 1 golden apple, Nightmare: 999 black apples), the twins' souls became apples. It's actually a thing. Since it's unrealistic and slightly horrifying to imagine Nightmare's soul being a giant clump of black apples fused together, I headcannon that one of those apples is his new soul and the rest are his goop. Not surprising. 1 apple for Dream is enough to power him, but 999? No wonder Nightmare is practically overflowing with negativity and he's still raring for one more. I guess you can say he's... _drunk_ with power? Y'know, since apples can be turned into alcohol? Eh?
> 
> Ok. I'll stop. Back on the subject, Dream's weapon not only puts a stop on Nightmare's natural ability to consume negativity, but it also eats away at his own power. Thankfully, Nightmare has 99 apples to burn through, so he doesn't die immediately. He was on his last apple when Reader arrived. 
> 
> I won't be expanding on how Dream came to hurt Nightmare. That answer is reserved for a short spinoff fic I'm currently writing: "Three Reluctant Heroes and a Flower".
> 
> The Multiverse is still a mess, but I think Reader is on their way to making things right.


	34. But It’s Totes Fresh, Broski!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, not him.

You stumble into the Temple of the Pantheon. Your portal closes behind you, but you pay its disappearance no mind as you look around for the danger. To your surprise, you find nothing. Actually, you hear nothing either. The temple is completely empty. The silence around you is almost eerie.

Since you appeared in an area of the temple you’ve never been to before, you get lost. You try to find a deity – _any_ deity – who can help you find the exit. You’re running on limited time, after all.

To your surprise, you nearly bump into Asgore. Thankfully, you manage not to slam into the back of the King of All Gods. “Oh! Excuse me, King Asgore. I didn’t mean to run in the temple, but I couldn’t find anyone to show me the way out.”

For a long beat, Asgore does not answer you. He doesn’t even turn to look at you. Is he upset that you came back before you fulfilled your purpose?

“My return aligns with my mission,” you quickly clarify, “I’m not slacking off. I…sensed a threat in this AU, so I came. Did you notice anything, your majesty?”

Asgore twitches.

“Your majesty?”

Worried, you walk around Asgore to look at him clearly. Much to your surprise, his usually white and pristine toga now has a splattering of many colors. While you usually admire seeing new colors, the combination of the bright shades hurt your eyes. You wince and take a few steps back.

“What…what are you wearing? And are those… _sunglasses_? King Asgore, what’s going on?”

You feel a presence near your shoulder and jump away just as an arm attempts to swing itself around your shoulders. You look at the newcomer warily as he grins at you. The stranger is a type of Sans wearing clothes with the same, garish colors that are on Asgore’s toga. The propeller on his hat spins almost lazily as he looks at you from head to toe. Then, he offers you a gold-toothed smile.

“Wiggity wiggity what’s up, broski? The name’s Fresh!” He finger-guns at you. The sunglasses perched over his eye sockets flash from the words YO-LO to ‘SUP-DUDE. “It’s totally awesome that you came ta join this rockin’ party, yo! You Asgore’s buddy? Totally radical!”

**(Oh god, not him.)**

Before you can ask Narrator what exactly it meant by that, Fresh snaps his fingers in front of your face, bringing you back to the present. He’s still smiling, but the words on his sunglasses show otherwise. RU-DE, it spells out almost reprovingly. “Hey, it’s totally not cool ta daydream when a new buddy’s tryin’ ta talk to yah. I don’t hear a name, either. That’s totes un-rad, ya dig me?”

“…Reader,” you offer your title reluctantly. You don’t quite relax your stance, but your hand is no longer on your sword. This Sans isn’t making any moves to attack you. Still, there’s something off about this entire situation. Asgore is still not speaking to you. Instead, he’s giving you a wide smile while nodding along with Fresh’s words. 

“Reader. _Reader._ Reedz. I’ll call ya Reedz since we’re buddies now!”

**(Reader, I know you ignore me for more than half the time, but _please_ listen to me. Fresh isn’t a Sans you can let your guard down around. He isn’t – He’s not your normal Sans. Yes, he might look like any 90’s nightmare, but he’s much more than that. I don’t have time to explain everything, but you need to get out of here before he –)**

“Say, Reedz, that’s a really RADical SOUL you got there!” Suddenly, Fresh is right in your space with his glasses flashing with an enthusiastic ‘GIM-ME’.

**(Run.)**

“Wha –

You feel something flare in your chest. It’s as if something cold took a grip on your soul. You’re at the precipice of something and it isn’t good. _Be careful_ , the Blessing of Survival seems to tell you, _Death is near._

**( _Run._ )**

Fresh tilts down his glasses, revealing a horrible sight. In one eye socket is a terribly cracked soul, floating out in the open like an eyelight. In the other, a purple, tentacle-like creature waves at you almost impishly from the depths of the Sans’ skull. The message on the sunglass changes once again. HELP ME, it pleads. Fresh’s body, on the other hand, smiles even wider.

**_“Wanna share it with your ol’ buddy, Fresh?_ ** _”_

* * *

**[New Objective: Survive]**

* * *

You bolt.

You don’t care about finding the exit of the temple. You just want to get out. You hear heavy footsteps following after you. You know for certain that it’s Asgore. Or what’s left of him before that _thing_ did something to him. To your sinking gut, more and more footsteps follow. The temple isn’t as empty as you thought after all.

**(Do not let them catch up to you. Understand? It’s GAME OVER for you and the Multiverse if that parasite infects you – or worse, gets your soul. Or both.)**

“Narrator, what is that thing?! It looked like an ugly purple starfish. With teeth!”

**(That thing is Fresh’s true form. He’s a Multiversal parasite who depends on a host’s soul and body to survive. He’s completely unpredictable. Don’t bother to try reasoning with him, he has no capacity for empathy. Aside from hunger and fear, Fresh doesn’t feel anything. Usually, he limits to only one host because Ink, Error, and Core act as deterrents, but I assume he’s taking advantage of the current chaos to spread his influence.)**

You pant as you manage to dodge a swipe from one of the winged gods. “And Geno? What do you think that thing did to Geno?”

**(Probably what happened to Asgore. Infected.)**

You grit your teeth and blink back your tears. This isn’t the time to mourn your friend. You need to survive first before anything else. That’s what is required of you. But there are so many infected gods and goddesses and you’re beginning to get very tired.

It’s inevitable that the Infected manage to catch you. They hold you down as Fresh causally heelys his way over to you. “Totes uncool of yah to run away like dat, _friendo_. But your friendly neighborhood broski here is pretty understandin’, so I’ll let it slide.”

You flinch when Fresh draws close. There’s anticipation and hunger in his movements as he begins to draw out your soul. As always, it’s small and trembling. You don’t know why Fresh looks so pleased seeing it.

**(Don’t let him take your soul!)**

You have to do something. _Anything._ You desperately shift through your inventory, trying to find an item that might be able to help you out of this mess. Then, your fingers make contact with the string around your wrist.

With a sharp tug of your wrist, you snap the string. You pray for success and swiftness as Fresh reaches out for your soul.

Blue strings snap out of nowhere and tangle with Fresh’s hand, just stopping him from making contact with your soul.

**“I’ve been looking for you, you filthy parasite.”** You instinctively shudder at the sound of the glitched voice. The last time you heard it, your Vessel had been torn to shreds and your soul nearly shattered. Despite your fears, you can’t help but glance up. The Destroyer stares right back at you with an unreadable look in his mismatched eyelights. “You always wiggled away from me, but not today.”

By now, Fresh is completely bound by Error’s strings. He struggles against the bonds desperately. “Wait! **Wait!** Error brah! We can talk about this!”

“Too late.” You look away as Error’s strings completely shatter Fresh’s body. When you look back, only the parasite itself remains. “Heh. Don’t worry, buddy,” the Destroyer croons mockingly, “I won’t let you die. That’s too easy. I’m going to make you _regret it_ first.” He tosses the bound parasite through a small portal with a vicious glee. “This is for ruining my Undernovela, you abomination!”

Then, Error turns back to you. You stiffen and tense, not that it does you any good when you’re wrapped with strings. They lift you away from the Infected and right up to Error’s level.

“You.”

You swallow dryly. “Me.”

Error stares at you for a little longer before turning away and scoffing. He reaches out and tugs at a stray, piece of string. To your horror, _Reapertale_ rips into pieces and falls into the Void, taking all of its Infected along with it.

“Whelp, time to go home.”

Opening up another portal, Error jumps through, dragging you along with him.

* * *

**[Secondary Mission Accomplished! Congratulations on Surviving, Reader!]**

* * *

Great. Not that you’re going to be alive any longer, but _great_.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Fresh!Sans ](https://undertale-au-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Sans/Underfresh) is created by CrayonQueen/loverofpiggies (creator of Geno). His design and personality is inspired by DippyFresh from Gravity Falls. And if you're curious, this is what [True!Fresh](http://loverofpiggies.tumblr.com/post/139878865175/so-what-if-for-whatever-reason-freshs) looks like.


	35. The Destroyer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Destroyer brings you to his home. What is he going to do with you? String you up? Torture you? Finish the job he failed to do last time? You don't know. And the unknown scares you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam. Double update. Look at that.

You thought you’d gotten over your crippling fear of blank spaces.

You were completely wrong.

The Antivoid Error pulled you into is just as white and cold as your own little pocket of hell behind the gray door. You start to shiver in your bindings as you desperately search for something colorful to focus on, which – unfortunately – is your captor. Thankfully, Error is too busy muttering to himself to bother looking back at you.

He’s wearing different clothes, you notice. Back then, he wore the trademark hoodie, t-shirt, shorts, and slipper combo that any variation of Undertale Sans would wear. Now, he’s replaced his hoodie and shorts with a black coat and pants with haphazardly stitched on extensions made with different cloth. He’s also forgone his slippers with flip-flops. The long scarf around his neck is new too.

Without warning, Error starts to move forward, yanking on the strings keeping you bound. You let out a loud yelp as the sudden movement makes you fall onto your back.

“C’mon, don’t _drag your feet_. There’s a comfy beanbag and a pile of Underfell chocolate waiting for me back home,” you hear him grumble as he drags you to Void-knows-where. All you know is that it’s _deeper_ into the Antivoid. You feel your throat close up at the thought. It doesn’t help that your current position makes you lose sight of the only other thing with color.

You close your eyes and try to bite back the whimper building up in your throat. You don’t succeed, judging by how the dragging suddenly stops.

“Hey.”

You hear Error above you. You refuse to open your eyes.

“Hey. You hurt or something? Wait. Are you _crying?!_ Why are you crying? I didn’t even threaten to end your life yet. Wait, no. Ignore that last part! I’m not going to – **Why aren’t your answering any of my questions?!** ” The more agitated the Destroyer gets, the more his voice glitches.

You feel the strings loosen around you. You should’ve run at the moment, but instead, you slap your hands over your eyes and curl up into a ball. Error quiets at your action. You can feel him staring at you.

“…you don’t like the AntiVoid.”

You flinch and sniffle.

“You don’t like…seeing it?”

Somehow, you manage a slow nod.

Something heavy lands on your head in response. It takes you patting it to realize that it’s Error’s coat. Slowly, you relax and open your eyes. Error stares back at you, gauging your reaction. You’re surprised that he’s on his hands and knees so he can get to your level. When he sees that you aren’t reacting negatively, he snorts and gets back onto his feet.

“…Stupid Abomination. You’re more trouble than you’re worth!”

Error begins to stomp away. You stare dumbly after him until he stops and turns back.

“Well?” he snaps. “Are you going to follow me or not? Note that if you’re not, I’m taking my jacket back.”

You snap out of your daze (and from the strings) to follow after the Destroyer, clutching tight onto the clothing as it anchors you in a sea of white.

* * *

Error’s little corner of the AntiVoid isn’t as blank and empty, thank goodness. He tugs you over to a large beanbag and makes you lie into it. “Stay here,” he orders you before transporting to…wherever.

You try your best to calm your shaking by looking around your new surroundings. Much to your surprise, there’s a tv in front of you. There’s a mess of chocolate wrappers and empty soda bottles near your seat. Further away, you see many stacks of cardboard boxes filling up the space with clutter.

You relax.

**(Don’t let your guard up just yet. Look up.)**

You look up. You see a cluster of strings hang from the ‘ceiling’ with a variety of colorful lights and dolls tangled up in them. Surprisingly cutesy for the Destroyer, but you don’t know why Narrator is drawing your attention to them.

**(Those dolls look mighty familiar, don’t they?)**

Yes. Looking at the dolls closer, you recognize a variety of Sans and other monsters you’ve met during your travels. Toriels, Asgores, Alphys, Undynes, and so on. They’re all very well made. “Did Error make these?”

**(Yes, he had to put all the monster dust and human souls somewhere.)**

“What?!”

**(Not the sanest Outcode in the Multiverse, I’m afraid. Error is a fickle one. You’re fortunate that he’s interested in you. Careful, now. Don’t make him angry or bore him. He might just abandon you in some corner of the AntiVoid like he did with an Underswap Sans.)**

“Chatty voice, aren’t you? Usually, you guys would be full of questions and ridiculous requests. Pretty bold of you to talk shit about me in my own home.”

You jolt at Error’s sudden presence. _When did he get here?_ and _How can he hear Narrator?_ are the two thoughts that are at the immediate forefront of your mind. The rest of your thoughts are focused on the scenario that Narrator had just presented to you. _No, you don’t want to be abandoned here. Not again. No. No. No_ –

Error glares dourly into the AntiVoid as he waits for a response. “Not going to answer?” Error taunts into the air. His scowl deepens when Narrator doesn’t answer.

“Tch. Coward.”

Then, Error turns to you. For one, heart-stopping moment, you think he’s going to do exactly as Narrator said he would. But no, he doesn’t. He’s not even angry anymore. Instead, the Destroyer just gives you a searching look.

He doesn’t find what he’s looking for. He draws back, slightly disappointed. “Figures,” he mutters to himself before snapping his fingers. You flinch, but no attack comes. Instead, a string descends from above with something black entangled with it. “Here. It’s yours.”

Your clocket.

Almost reverently, you untangle it from Error’s string and hold it close to your chest. It must’ve been left behind after your Vessel was destroyed. You had completely forgotten about it, but now that it’s in your hands, you feel a deep sense of relief. You look back up to Error.

“T-Thank you.”

Error flinches at your stuttering gratitude. He crosses his arms almost defensively around himself and averts his eyes from where you stand. “Whatever.”

Then, as if he can’t bear being so close to you, he uses his strings to catapult himself up to the ceiling where he spins a web-like hammock. He makes himself comfortable amongst his past spoils and staunchly ignores you. You leave him be to his sulky silence and relax into the beanbag.

The Destroyer is being…nice? Yes, he’s being unexpectedly nice to you. So far, he’s given you his coat, let you rest on a comfortable beanbag, and gave you back your clocket, completely undamaged. And he hasn’t tried to kill you.

**(Yet.)**

You’re too tired to humor Narrator’s anxiety and paranoia. Instead, you fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

The AntiVoid is timeless and silent. You don’t know whether you’ve stayed here for days or mere hours. You hope it’s the latter. You wonder if Dream and Cross are worried about you. You hadn’t exactly told them where you were going when you rushed off. But you have no way of contacting them now. You’re stuck and under the mercy of the Destroyer.

Who’s been ignoring you ever since you woke up from your nap.

At first, this relieved you. Less conversation meant less opportunities to accidentally anger Error. But then, the silence and the loneliness slowly became more and more suffocating. It’s the AntiVoid, after all. It slowly eats at you the longer you’re left without interaction and mental stimulation.

That’s when everything hits you all at once: the stress of your assigned duty, the terror from your encounter with Fresh, and the grief for Geno you had put aside. He’s gone. _He’s gone._ The idea of it had been so abstract when you were running from Fresh and his Infected that you nearly convinced yourself that Geno wasn’t really gone. There’s no dust, so there must be no death. But Error destroyed _Reapertale_. He ripped up its entire code into tiny shreds, leaving nothing behind. 

You don’t know when you start crying, but by the time your tears start dampening the shirt under your armor, you can’t stop. Sobs wrack through your body as you hug yourself.

“That’s stupid. All of you are stupid. Why is this such a big deal to all of you anyways? Just shut up and leave me alone. I’m busy enough without all of you hassling me. Go away.”

“…shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m already _trying_ , but nothing’s _working._ They’re still scared of me _._ I’ll just make it worse.”

A beat. Then, you hear a glitched sigh.

“Fine. _Fine._ I’ll talk to them. But I’m only doing this to prove to all of you that I’m right!”

To your surprise, Error lowers his hammock down to your level. His face is set with an odd edge of determination as he takes you in. You’re certain that you look like a mess to the Destroyer. You definitely _feel_ like one as you pathetically sniffle and hiccup.

“Hey, um, there, there. It’s…fine?? I mean – what’s bothering you, huh?”

You struggle to form the right words to explain. How can you make Error understand the crushing grief and guilt you’re feeling right now?

“Stop crying,” he orders you. “I mean it. Stop.”

You send him a baleful look. If you could, you would have a long time ago. As if to spite him, your tears flow faster.

Through your blurred vision, you see Error start to glitch in distress. His strange eyelights are beginning to fill with ERROR warnings as he scrambles to fix the situation he’d unintentionally worsened. “No w-w-wait, that’s not what I mean-meant! Don’t cry! Stop! …Please? ARGH! sTOp, kID!!” His form becomes completely ridden with glitches for a brief moment before he completely freezes.

**Error.exe has crashed.**

**Rebooting…**

Odd, beeping and scratchy noises fill that AntiVoid as a bar appears above his head. _10%_ , it reads, _30%...45%..._

“Narrator, what’s happening?”

**(Error just crashed and he’s trying to reboot. Glitches like him aren’t the most…stable. Too much scrambled code to handle extreme levels of emotions. In conclusion, you overwhelmed him with your tears. For shame, Reader.)**

… _80%...100%..._

**(Oh look. He’s coming back faster than I expected. Shame.)**

**Reboot Complete. Standby.**

Error unfreezes and stares at you in an almost dazed confusion. The realization hits him a millisecond later and his skull flushes with magic. He averts his eyes and tenses, completely ready to bolt or, in his case, raise his hammock above and out of sight. You tilt your head. “Are you okay?”

“…”

“That looked like it hurt,” you offer sympathetically. You wipe your cheeks with Error’s jacket sleeves. The tears haven’t exactly stopped, but they certainly slowed. “Losing control of yourself never feels nice.” You look down. “I haven’t felt like I’m in control for a long time.”

“…Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The embarrassment eases from Error’s face as he leans forward in genuine interest. “Wanna talk about it?”

Error, your almost-killer, should be the last person to trust and open up to. But the words come out easy from your mouth. You start with your job first. You express your frustration on how ill-prepared you are for your position and how unsure you are in your success. You already lost an AU important to you because you weren’t fast enough. Who’s to say you won’t fail again?

You stop when you feel something soft pat your head. You nearly jump when you find yourself face-to-face with a Sans doll. It’s slightly worn and far cruder than the rest of the dolls. It must be one of the oldest ones here. Blue strings are tangled to the limbs, shifting at every twitch of Error’s fingers. It gives you another pat.

Error is trying to…comfort you?

“There, there,” he says stiltedly, his nerves making his voice glitch and stutter, “it’s going to be…all right. A-A-And you shouldn-n’t stress too much. You’re doing an ok job – better than th-that Rainbow Asshole ever did at least. I would know. Ch-Chin up.”

You give a tentative smile. “Well, I guess I can’t stay pessimistic if the Destroyer himself is trying to cheer me up.”

“Damn straight. Now take this stabhorse and feel better.”

To your utter befuddlement, something soft hits your face and lands onto your lap. A stuffed horse stares back at you with cute, button eyes. To your surprised delight, the horse indeed has a sharp appendage attached to its head. You didn’t even know horses come in these colors!

“See? Don’t you feel better already?” Error says smugly. “Give it a hug.”

The stabhorse is soft and squishy when you hug it. It feels nice. “I love hugs,” you say wistfully, thinking back to the hugs TK and Killer gave you, “I miss hugs.” Without realizing it, you voice dips into a lower and more somber pitch when you make your confession. You hear Error shift in his hammock. The sound of snapping fingers makes you look up.

You nearly fly off of the beanbag when you’re faced with three Gaster Blasters. They crowd you, snuffling you curiously as if they’re dogs and not terrifying weapons of mass destruction. You desperately hope they keep their maws shut. You don’t think you have the ability to dodge any blasts this close.

“Well?” Error looks at you expectantly.

Well? Well, what?

“Hug them.”

Almost instinctively, you wrap your hands around one of the blasters. Which is usually a stupid thing to do. Thankfully, the Gaster Blaster reacts positively to this instead of biting your head off, snuggling into you in a way that makes your chest twinge at the familiarity. The other blasters jealously try to do the same, nudging their way into your arms and knocking the air out of you with their zeal.

“G-G-Gently, you pests! Humans are squishy and f-f-fragile!” You hear Error hiss and the Gaster Blasters immediately fall into line. They let you take the initiative of drawing them into hugs and petting them. Error relaxes. “Yeah. Like that.”

Your stress and worries fall away as you play with the magic attacks. The blasters feel comfortingly warm when you touch them. Like hot cocoa or a homemade sweater. Not at all the associations a person would usually attach to someone as dangerous and unstable as Error.

And yet, a monster’s magic reflects the monster’s character and intention.

The Narrator is wrong. You don’t think Error is going to kill you or leave you to suffer in the middle of the AntiVoid after losing interest. But if not that, then what does the Destroyer want with you?

* * *

“What _is_ your name anyways?”

You don’t know what it was that made Error suddenly curious about your name. Just seconds before, he was trying to teach you how to crochet. You’re still struggling with your own project while he’s already halfway through making a Sans. You find yourself fascinated. You’ve never seen one with mismatched eyelights before.

“Reader.”

Error shoots you a look over his glasses. He’s completely unimpressed by your answer.

“Not your title, godling, I asked for your _name_.”

_A deity’s true name is sometimes not something to be shared,_ you intended to say. And yet, that is not what happens. Instead, you find yourself answering Error. Your name rolls off your tongue before you realize you’re saying it. Just like before, it comes out as a cacophony of shouts and an endless string of syllables.

You cut yourself off and clear your throat awkwardly. “My friends call me Blank,” you offer instead.

Error tilts his head. “Blank? Or __________?”

The way he says it sounds meaningful. Like when Geno spoke to you about the difference between love and LOVE. “…I don’t know what you mean by that. Aren’t they the same thing?”

Error’s face twist into an angry snarl. “It never is when it comes to those damn Creators.”

“Creators?”

“Creators. Meddlers. _Voices_.” The doll he was working on falls to the side as he grips his crochet hook. “They’re the reasons why AUs exist. They pile their u-u- _useless_ ideas onto a perfectly functioning timeline and make a mess of everything! Always talking. Always yammering. They never shut up. I’m surprised you don’t know about them. Didn’t your rude Voice tell you anything?”

“Narrator isn’t really the nicest. Or the most forthcoming with information until my life is in danger.”

“Narrator?” There’s a note of incredulity in Error’s tone. “Not even a Creator? Isn’t their type supposed to keep to the script?”

**(I do well enough. I am not bound solely to my purpose.)**

_Unlike you,_ goes unsaid, but you’re too surprised to hear Narrator’s voice again to scold it for being so rude. Error isn’t as shaken by Narrator’s sudden entrance, so he scowls at the empty air. “Proud for someone who’s pretty much useless. You don’t narrate a story – you abandoned that, apparently. You barely _help_ one of the only people who can hear you _–_ ” Error glances at you “ – so what good are you, really?”

**(You know nothing. You think too simply to understand what I have achieved. You lack _creativity._ ) **You hear Narrator sneer. **(But what can I really expect from a glitch who had lost his mind to the AntiVoid?)**

“Pretend I actually care about what you think and tell me what you think you achieved.” Condescension oozes from Error as he picks up his doll again. His hands work furiously on the project, betraying how much Narrator’s words are affecting him. 

**(I changed the ending of the story I was bound to and found my freedom in the process. Can you say that you could have done the same, Destroyer?)**

You give a start at Narrator’s words. “Change a story? Like…change an AU? But doesn’t that just create a new timeline?”

**(Don’t act as if you understand how timelines work, Reader. What I did was more than a change of heart or a different decision.)** Narrator’s dismissive tone rankles you, but you remain silent to hear it out. For once, it’s being chatty and you’re beginning to get some answers. **(I destroyed an ending and ripped a story wide open with its own code so I could leave. So _we_ could leave.)**

You hear a snap. You turn to see the crochet hook broken and the doll a tangled mess. Error’s face is completely blank and that sets you on edge. Meanwhile, Narrator continues to gloat.

**(To think, it only took erasing a single line of dialogue to achieve something like that. The Creators and their will aren’t as infallible as they seem. Why hasn’t anyone done this sooner?)**

“You _dirty little hacker._ You want to know why?”

Error lifts his hand and makes a sharp gesture. You jump to your feet as the blank expanse of the AntiVoid is suddenly filled with glitchy windows peeking into many different areas and AUs. In any other circumstance, you would’ve been thrilled to see so many new places, but not now. Not when you’re seeing AUs after AUs waste away and crumble in front of your very eyes. The colors go first. Then every shade and line as if an eraser is going over everything. The rest of the code simply falls away after that – like a soft sigh as it falls into the Void. It’s a very silent affair. You don’t even hear a scream. It happens again and again. Error closes the windows after an AU finishes dying, only to replace it with another. And another.

Eventually, all windows close, leaving behind a terrible silence.

“This is why.”

**(…You’re destroying so much now that Ink is gone?)**

“Heh. Funny that you say that,” Error says humorlessly, “seeing that it’s mostly _your fault_ that the Multiverse went to shit. Contained AUs are kept contained for a _reason._ The Multiverse isn’t made to suddenly make room for whatever you intended to do. Everything planned was derailed. All order collapsed. Hell, your actions made _me_ go out of business as a destroyer seeing that Ink is doing my job _for_ me!” There’s a tense silence. “What? Nothing to say?”

**(What do you mean by that?)**

Error smiles wryly. “Who would’ve known that rainbow asshole had it in him? You heard me. That artist snapped one day and decided to bring down the entire Multiverse with him.”

“…What?”

Error stops and stares at you. He sees your lost expression and curses. “Dream didn’t tell you.”

You shake your head, confirming what he already guessed. “I don’t…I don’t think he had the time. Dream just told that Ink disappeared one day and left the Multiverse unprotected. That’s why the negativity and infection spread. I heard that many AUs were getting destroyed, so I thought –

“You thought it was me,” Error finishes. He’s completely unsurprised. “Well, I _did_ cripple the Multiverse by shredding half of it to pieces, so you’re still half right. But as I said, I’m not destroying anymore. That’s Ink.”

**(Liar.)**

“No, I don’t think Error is lying. Why would he bother? It makes sense.” You shake your head and think back to the words you overheard from Dream. “After all, who knows best on how to unravel AUs than the one who helped create them?”

You can sense the truth hit Narrator. But you are completely unprepared for the anger that is suddenly leveled at you.

**(This is all your fault.)**

“My fault?” You repeat slowly, not believing your own ears. “How is this my fault?”

**(If you had only listened to me ever since the beginning. If you didn’t waste everyone’s time with your unnecessary heroism, _none of this_ would have happened! But here we are! All that planning behind _her_ back, all those deals I made with Gaster, all that effort to change a _single line –_ all wasted. Everything I’ve ever done was for nothing. All because of _you._ )**

It clicks right then. You don’t know why you didn’t realize it sooner. The subtle hints Narrator had let slip in your previous conversations. Looking back at it now, it seems so obvious. The story that Narrator was once bound to was _yours_. That ending that it destroyed was _yours_. Geno never coming back for you had been _because of him._

And now Narrator is blaming you for the mess that followed. He’s blaming you for the loss of every AU just because you were thrown into a series of events you had no control over.

But that doesn’t change anything, does it? Error said it himself: The Multiverse was not made to have you in it. Your existence just caused ripples that eventually destroyed everything.

…Why are you even here?

* * *

**[Warning!: You are causing harm to the Reader with your distress. If you continue to show a lack of control over your emotional facilities, Narrator, you will be forcefully shut down and terminated.]**

* * *

“Narrator, calm down.” Despite the voice’s vitriol, you don’t want Narrator to get hurt. The system sounds unforgiving and you don’t want to test its patience.

**(NO! I’ve HAD IT with you Creators! I’ve been silenced for too long! We made an agreement! I’ve upheld my side of the bargain! Is it so much for me to expect you to uphold yours?)**

You blink in confusion. “Bargain? I don’t remember making a bargain with you.”

**(Don’t lie to me! Playing dumb won’t get you anywhere! All I asked for was a delivery. One _simple_ delivery. Now he’ll never have a…You _wanted_ this, didn’t you? You were never going to keep your promise. You just wanted to see me suffer.)**

Nothing Narrator is saying is making any sense. “Narrator, _please –_

* * *

**[Emergency Shutdown Commencing in 3…2…1…]**

**[Shut Down Complete.]**

**[Termination Complete.]**

**[Farewell, Narrator.]**

* * *

And then, silence.

“…Narrator is gone.”

Error scoffs. “Good riddance. That hacker caused more harm than good.”

“Because of me.” You feel your eyes start to water. “Narrator is gone forever because of me. Just like how my friends are dead because of me. My presence here caused all of this, didn’t it?”

Error doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to.

“I’m _sorry!_ ” you wail as you cover your face with your hands. “It’s my fault! I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry!”

You hear Error glitch uncontrollably. “Wh-Wh-What did I say about c-c-crying? Save it! Don’t you dare pin all of this onto yourself like some dumb martyr. _Of course_ you didn’t mean to! It wasn’t your fault!” Error snaps. “You were being used!”

You hiccup.

Error sighs. “So what if your caused a few ripples? What happened after isn’t your responsibility. Every one of us made our choices. Including that poor excuse of a narrator.” He sees your doubtful expression. “Don’t believe me? Here, take a look.”

He switches the TV on.

At first, you see the same, terrible scene of an AU falling apart. You nearly look away but pause when you realize that the damage isn’t spreading. It’s at the brink of crumbling away, but it hasn’t. Not yet. Your eyes widen when you see faint time runes surrounding what is left of the AU as humans and monsters alike are being ushered through open doors. This is TK’s magic. But you’ve never seen it cover something _this_ massive.

“That Time brat really grew into his powers. He practiced real hard to get to this point. Said he wouldn’t lose another one of his friends.”

Then, the channel changes to another AU. It’s not crumbling yet, but you can see that it’s been horribly affected. Still, you see a gathering of the survivors. Many tents are set up along with stations for medicine and food. You gasp when you see Dust and Horror’s faces among the helpers. Your chest aches at how different they look. Yes, they’re a little tired, but they look lighter and kinder.

“Those two got out of Nightmare’s thumb and joined in on the relief efforts when things started to get really bad. They’ve been a lot of help.”

The channel switches again. This time, it’s focused on an individual. Your soul clenches at the sight of Geno. Except, he’s mortal. No wings, no miracles, just Geno being flanked by two other Sanses who you recognize as the ones you saved.

“Aftertale. One of the AUs that remained stable so far. Some of the refugees are sent over there to make more room for the newcomers in the Omega Timeline. Those Sanses you saved are paying your actions back a thousandfold by defending what is left of the Multiverse.”

You see Nightmare and Dream with their hands gripping each other with sockets squeezed shut as if in prayer. Even at a distance you can _feel_ how the despair and apathy of what is left of the Multiverse shifts into something _more_. There is fear, yes, fear of death, fear of the end, fear for loved ones. Fear to push for _action._ Fear that edges towards hope.

Meanwhile, other AUs hang by a thread, but only just. It’s a miracle.

As if summoned by your thoughts, a pair of colorful wings come into view. The God of Miracles flits about from AU to AU, blocking his deathly counterpart at every turn to give Core a little more time to evacuate as many people to safety. Both are completely untouched by Fresh’s infection. They must’ve escaped. There must be survivors. A heavy weight lifts from your shoulders at the realization

“You did _so much good._ You’ve helped a lot of abominations. Even the ones who don’t deserve it. You _chose_ to do that, every time. And those choices are the reason why we’ve held on as long as we did.”

You’re crying for a completely different reason now.

“Yeah, you coming out into the big, wide Multiverse might’ve changed things, but you changed us for the better. Even –

_Crash._

Error’s expression falls flat as a stack of the cardboard boxes are overturned. You both turn to see the guilty expressions of two gaster blasters staring back.

“Tiny. Spot.” Hearing the warning bite to Error’s voice, the pair flee from their master to postpone their inevitable punishment. “No! Bad blasters! Get back here!”

Error chases after his own blasters, completely overlooking the mess for now. You wander over to the upturned boxes. Extra balls of yarn spill out, leaving behind colorful strings for you to admire. You nearly trip over a dented, tacky crown. You actually slip and fall when your foot lands on something cylindrical. It rolls away from you as you struggle back up. There’s so much junk! They’re all either broken, bloodstained, or rusted over.

But then, you see a piece of cloth peeking from under the overturned box. You nudge it aside and pick up the blanket. It’s completely colorless. And yet, you know instantly that this blanket is the very same one that had been strewn over your shoulders and your head back when you waited behind a closed door. It’s the very same blanket you left behind. The stars are long gone, but the texture and smells are still there.

How did Error get his hands on this?

No. No, he can’t be –

“Baskerville Serif the III, _you get the stabhorse out of your mouth this instant!_ ”

“…Geno?”

And then, everything stops. Somehow, Error hears you from across the space. At first, he doesn’t respond. Then, almost hesitantly, Error nods.

“Hey, kiddo.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've purposefully left out any links and information about [Error](https://undertale-au-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Sans/Errortale) from the previous chapters because of this very spoiler. Yes, Error is Geno. Not all Geno's are Errors, but all Errors used to be Geno once upon a time. Remember Miracle!Geno's story? Well, think about that but he never finds a way out (no door, no human) and gets driven insane. Voila, an Error.
> 
> Well, an Error who's also our Geno, apparently.
> 
> Error, like Geno and Fresh, is created by loverofpiggies/CrayonQueen.


	36. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunion overdue.

You clutch onto the blanket as you stare at Error. Error, who is also your Geno. You mind whirls as it tries to accept the very realization that you’d uttered just moments ago. It’s one thing to have a far-fetched suspicion based on a piece of evidence. It’s another to have it confirmed by the actual source.

Error’s nervous smile falters as the silence stretches too long. It eventually sinks into a closed-off scowl as he curls into himself and turns away. “Th-This was a bad-d i-i-i-idea. I knew it-t-t.” You see a portal opening behind him. With a pang of dread, you realize what he’s planning to do.

You rush over to him and stop him before he steps through. You grab his wrist and tug him away from wherever he was planning to slip away to. “No, wait! Don’t leave!” You let out a sob. “Please, _please_ don’t leave, Geno. You just came back.”

He freezes. The portal in front of him flickers.

“Please.”

There’s another tense moment before Error lets out a glitched sigh. You feel his form slump in resignation as he waves the portal away. “Okay.” He takes a steadying breath as he slowly turns around. He doesn’t shake away your hand. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

“Thank you.”

Then, you throw your arms around him and draw him into a tight hug.

“I missed you,” you confess to him quietly. “I want you to know that. I’m happy to see you again.”

You hear Error’s breath catch. Then, slowly, he raises his arms and hugs you back. “What are we going to do?” He sounds so helpless and so lost. “I’m not your Geno anymore.”

“That’s all right,” you tell him, “I changed too. I’m not your Frisk anymore, but that doesn’t change how I feel. We can catch up. That’s okay, right?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

* * *

Geno came back for you, but he came back too late. The AntiVoid swallowed his mind and body up and spat out someone different. Time flows differently in every corner of the Multiverse. For all you know, you might have spent an eternity in the Void or Geno’s suffering before turning into Error lasted only a mere second outside of the AntiVoid. By that point, Geno’s mind was scattered. He lost too much of himself. He was more voices and anger than his own mind. He was Error. He was the Destroyer.

Until you.

“Not really,” Error corrects you bluntly. Both of you moved over to the beanbag to have a proper conversation. Though he’s not hugging you anymore, Error’s strings tangle and cradle your fingers, unwilling to let you go. “I just thought you were a really weird anomaly who felt…familiar. I didn’t think about you again for a long time. I destroyed many more AUs between nearly killing you and I finding out about the truth. I even destroyed a handful more after that. For fun! I didn’t even apologize for it!”

Error stares at you almost expectantly for your reaction.

“I don’t hate you, Error. I’m not angry,” you assure him, “just disappointed.”

The expression he makes at that is…conflicted. He looks relieved that you don’t hate him, but your disappointment seems to punch him in the gut.

“Just make sure to apologize later. I know it’s supposed to be your job in the Multiverse, but to do it ‘just for fun’ isn’t nice, Error.”

He huffs and crosses his arms. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

Error’s front doesn’t fool you. You can tell that he’s relieved that you gave him a solution to gain your forgiveness. In truth, your disappointment is barely there. Compared to the current state of the Multiverse, Error’s sins are pale and doesn’t hold much weight. Still, you want to see at least a _little_ bit of genuine remorse for his actions.

“How did you remember me, then?”

Error reaches over and plucks something out of your pocket. He lets the clocket swing right between you two, letting you guess the answer on your own. _Of course._ The clocket had been where you learned about part of the truth, after all. It makes sense that it was the same for Error.

You take the clocket back. “Makes sense. You kept it?”

“It looked interesting.”

“So you didn’t know what it was,” you conclude. “And you used it accidentally. Or someone let it slip what it was and how to use it. Which only leaves TK.” You blink and tilt your head. “Error, are you and TK friends?”

Error splutters. “As if the brat and I are friends!”

A portal violently opens into the Antivoid, sounding like a combination of gears screeching and an alarm clock going off. TK jumps right through, looking harried. “Chief! We really, _really_ need your help this time. I’ll make it up to you, I swear! Blank disappeared! We can’t find –”

TK’s panicked ramblings cuts off when he catches sight of you. “Blank?” He turns to Error with a scowl. _“They were with you the entire time?!_ You should’ve at least _told_ someone! Do you know how worried we all are?”

“Didn’t know. Don’t care, brat.”

_“Chief.”_

You laugh and grin at Error teasingly. “Not a friend, huh?” He flushes and huffs, turning away from you. You don’t tease Error any more than that, focusing on TK instead. You reluctantly climb out of the beanbag and untangle Error’s strings from your fingers so you can walk up to the small skeleton, much to the glitch’s displeasure. “Hey TK,” you kneel down to his level and take out the clocket, “I’ve got something for you. Sorry it took so long.”

TK reaches out and takes it, treating it as the priceless treasure it is. His eyelights glows with magic as he sends the clocket away. Probably to Timeverse. Then, he takes you hand and starts tugging you towards the portal. “C’mon, Blank.”

Error lets out a rattling hiss and climbs off of the beanbag. “And where do you think you’re going with my guest, you ticking nuisance?”

TK looks completely unperturbed at Error’s growing anger. “Away. You probably cooped them up here the entire time, didn’t you, Chief? Yeah, I knew it. Just ‘cause you’re an introvert of the highest caliber doesn’t mean that you should drag Blank into your depressing glitch-cave for losers and hold them hostage!”

Error splutters. “You–How dare–Well, I _never_! Kiddo, come back here! That Time brat is the worst influence. I don’t want you catching anything.”

“Nuh-uh. You hogged them for forever. It’s _my_ turn now.” TK’s expression turns serious. “Besides, I wasn’t kidding when I said everyone’s worried. Things are getting worse, Chief. AUs are starting to fall faster than we can save ‘em. We’re barely holding on. Worrying about Blank on top of that isn’t the best. Let me take them back.”

Error hesitates.

“Why don’t you come with us?” You decide to compromise. “In that way, we can stay together, and TK can show everyone I’m okay.”

TK winces.

“Blank, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He glances at Error nervously. “Chief doesn’t really like –

“Sure.”

“Wait, what?!”

But Error is already tugging you halfway through TK’s portal, ignoring the young skeleton’s obvious confusion. “Let’s go.”

* * *

When frightened gazes meet you at the other side, you remember too late that Error is someone that the Multiverse is afraid of. TK’s casual way of interacting with him made you forget. Error, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care.

Core appears in front of the cowering crowd and smiles at the Destroyer. “Error. You’ve finally accepted my offer to visit the Omega Timeline. Welcome. I hope you can forgive the chaos and messiness. Is there anything you need?”

Error snorts and steps to the side, revealing you and TK. “Nah. Just dropping these ones off.”

The response is immediate.

“Blank!”

Relief and joy lights up in many of the faces around you. It warms you to see that so many people care about you. Someone pushes through the crowd and stumbles out. It’s Killer. When he sets his eyes on you, his ever-present grin widens. He shouts at someone over his shoulder.

“Hey assholes! Guess who’s back? It’s our Blank!”

The result is instantaneous. Dust and Horror scramble from the crowd and zero in on you. Within a blink, your breath is knocked right out of you as two, overzealous skeletons crush you into a hug.

“You’re so big now!” Horror sniffles. “They fed you all right where you were? You look so skinny. They probably didn’t, those bastards.”

Dust pats you down for any injuries. “Blank, why are you wearing armor? _And which dumb fucker gave you a sword?_ You can hardly handle a knife! Whose bright idea was this?!”

You let out a laugh and pat the both of them. “I missed you too, guys.”

A stunned silence follows after your words.

“…Holy shit, Killer wasn’t lying. You really _can_ talk now.”

Killer smiles smugly and snickers. “Told ya so. And _I_ heard Blank talk before you two ‘cause _I’m_ the favorite.”

Very flawed argument, but Dust doesn’t seem to care. With a shout, he lets go of you and flings himself at Killer, only to be held back by a completely done Horror. You’re surprised he didn’t just let Dust go with how reluctantly he’s preventing an all-out brawl between the two.

“One punch, Horror!” You hear Dust whine, voice still scratchy and watery from all the crying. “Just one to get out of my system! I promise!”

“Don’t ruin it for Blank. How d’ya think they’d feel if we started fighting in front of them? Calm down and let it go,” Horror says with a tone of finality before adding under his breath, “For now. You can punch ‘im for that later when the kid’s not looking.”

“Idiots, all of them,” someone says near you, making you jump. You turn to see Nightmare standing a few feet away. Dream, at his side, giggles quietly behind a hand. The other cradles a pot with the sapling. “Brother, you never mentioned that your friends are so funny!”

Nightmare lets out a heavy sigh. “For the last time, Dream. They’re not my friends, they’re my –” He cuts himself off with a grimace. “Well. They’re not my anything anymore. Nothing belongs to me anymore.”

Knowing not to push, Dream nudges the sapling into his brother’s hands. “Here, it’s your turn to hold it, Night. Can you take it somewhere safer and quieter for me?” Nightmare all but snatches the pot from Dream’s hands and walks away. Dream watches after his brother sadly.

“Is everything all right?”

Now it’s Dream’s turn to jump. “Oh! Blank! Hi! Um…how are you?”

“I’m fine and parasite-free, thanks to Error. Sorry for leaving all of you like that. I hope I didn’t worry everyone too much.” You tilt your head. “Not that I’m not happy to see you again, but what are you and Nightmare doing in the Omega Timeline with the sapling? Isn’t it risky to move it around?”

Dream’s smile dims. “We didn’t exactly have a choice. You see, not long after you left, Ink came. Nighty’s castle, our universe, is gone.”

“Dreamtale’s gone?” Then, a terrible thought hit you. You look around. “Where’s Cross? Is he…?” Dream’s eyelights widen and he shakes his head. “Oh no, _no_. Nothing happened to him. Cross is fine. He’s with Epic right now.”

Guilt fills your soul at how tired and sad Dream looks. Even in shambles, Dreamtale had been his home. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.” If you had, maybe –

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Dream halts your thoughts not unkindly. “Ink isn’t someone you can sway with words and earnest feelings, not in his current state. He’s off his paints.”

“Off his paints?” You parrot. “What does paint have anything to do with talking to Ink?”

“Ink is soulless. In the past, he depended on vials of paint held on his sash to experience fake feelings and express artificial emotions,” Dream explains. His eyelights dim even more. “I realized that a little too late. Now, Ink doesn’t touch them at all and there’s nothing holding him back from hurting _everyone_ and e _verything_ **I care about**.”

Dream stops and takes a breath. When he’s done, his eyelights are back to their soft glow.

“I’m sorry for dumping all of that on you. You already feel so pressured.”

“It’s fine,” you assure him quietly. “It seems like I’m not the only one who’s feeling under a lot of pressure. You lost your home. A person you thought was your friend caused that. You’re allowed to feel bad.”

“Thank you, Blank.” Then, he lets out a small, fragile laugh when he catches sight of the blanket tangled around your arm. “Did Error give you that? I’m surprised. He was always so insistent that I never touch that whenever I stopped by. We all wanted him to join us when it became clear that he was on our side, did you know?”

You shake your head. There’s a lot of things you don’t know.

“It can’t be comfortable carrying that blanket around like that. You might even drop it and lose it. How about we do this?” You let Dream take your blanket and wrap it around your shoulders, turning it into a cape. “There,” he says softly after he ties it up. “Now you look like a proper protector. I hope your blanket gives you strength like my own did to me.”

“Thank yo –

A shrill alarm sounds in your head and nearly brings you to your knees.

* * *

**[EMERGENCY MISSION: Aftertale, The Last Stronghold]**

**[Alternate Universes remaining: 1]**

**[Failure to prevent AU’s destruction will result in the automatic failure of the Primary Mission: Save the Multiverse.]**

* * *

When your head clears, someone’s hand is on your shoulder, steadying you. It’s Error.

Not too far away, there’s a portal that’s open for you to complete your task.

“Aftertale is falling,” he announces to everyone else. How did he –? Oh. That’s right. He can hear the voices too. Error sneers down at Core. “Since it’s obvious that no one else is capable of handling Ink except me, I’ll be the one going.” He then turns to you. “You, stay here.”

“What? No, I’m coming with you! This is my mission to complete,” you insist.

“Ink might be stupid, but he’s dangerous.” He sends a meaningful look over your shoulder and you find yourself pinned down by many hands. “Stay. I’ll be back before you know it, kiddo.”

You struggle desperately and reach out for Error as he passes through your portal. No! He’s making a terrible mistake! You have to go with him!  


“Wait –!”

It closes, taking Error to the mission and leaving you behind.

* * *

You wait with everyone else.

You don’t wait for very long.

* * *

**[…]**

**[MISSION FAILED]**

* * *

You know Aftertale fell long before everyone else does. The tears are already streaming down your face when many doors appear, letting in a stream of survivors and refugees. They carry despair and fear with them because of your failure. The Omega Timeline is in chaos, either trying to help or completely giving up.

The last AU fell. The residents of the Omega Timeline are all that’s left.

You look down at your hands. What was the point? You tried so hard. _Everyone_ tried so hard. Even if you followed Error out there, would it have made a difference? No, probably not. So, was it all hopeless in the end? What do you do now?

You feel lost.

You don’t know what to do.

A pair of beautiful wings fills your vision as a familiar pair of arms wraps around you and holds you close. “Geno,” you wail with relief. Even with the world falling around you and your failure weighing heavy on your shoulders, Geno feels like stability and relief.

You hear the God of Miracles himself choke back a sob as he buries his face into your shoulder. “Reader. Kiddo. Thank the Surface you’re alive.”

You feel just as choked up. You hug him back. “I came back,” you tell him. “I came back for you. I swear. But you weren’t there. I thought you were gone forever.”

“I’m not,” he assures you. “I’m here.”

“I couldn’t save the Multiverse. I’m sorry.”

“You tried your best. No one can ask any more than that.” Geno pulls back and offers a comforting smile. “Besides, who’s to say that there won’t be a last-minute miracle? Hm? We’ll find a way through this.”

You think Geno wants to say something else but then something slams right into him, knocking him over onto the floor in a tangle of limbs, feathers, and strings. You blink. Strings? Error?

You hear a glitched groan. Yes, it’s Error. But who threw him into Geno? And why is he covered in paint?

A squelch of something thick and wet (like paint. _Is_ paint?) alerts you of something coming. You turn just in time to see a skeleton rise up from a puddle. He’s carrying an oversized paintbrush. He’s wearing a sash full of colorful vials. His gaze is completely empty and emotionless.

It’s Ink. There’s no one else he can be. And he’s coming your way.

You never knew that the sound of sneakers treading closer and closer to you could be so ominous. And yet, there’s anticipation there too. You don’t move. You can’t move. So, you wait. Ink comes right up to you. And stops.

“I found you,” he breathes and reaches out for you. “I finally found you. My soul. _My soul._ ”

You take a step back. Your little soul trembles in your chest at Ink’s words. A chime sounds in your head.

* * *

**[New Objective: Defeat Ink]**

**[There is no other option.]**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this wasn't enough, after all. The Multiverse still fell and Ink still found you. 
> 
> If you don't want to die, be prepared to fight for your life.


	37. The Guardian of the AUs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're not going down without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so exhausted. Constantly. I don't even know how I managed to finish this chapter. Should I just...give up on completing this story? I don't know. It's already in so much of a mess I can't even comprehend what it'll take to make it all right again.
> 
> [Ink](https://undertale-au-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Sans/Inktale) belongs to [comyet](https://comyet.tumblr.com).

Ink: The Artist, Protector, Forgetful, Hero, and Friend. But also, the False One, Soulless One, and Traitor. Titles upon titles have passed through your ears, but none of them prepared you enough for the real thing. You thought Error was the biggest threat out there. You were wrong.

Back when you first met him, Error felt like gravity. He felt like the weight of many worlds being forced onto your shoulders. He felt like a force you could never surpass.

Ink feels like the end.

Even as the notification blares at your ears, you keep your eyes on Ink, matching every step he takes with a step back. It’s a tremulous balance of keeping him in place and keeping him away.

What do you do? You barely know anything about Ink’s skillset in battle. You can only assume that the giant paintbrush at his side can function as a weapon, but is there anything else? His vials? Do they give him a boost along with emotions? But from what you can see, they’re all completely full, which means Ink hasn’t used them at all.

Ink reaches for you again. You resist the lurch that your soul makes at that action and step just barely out of reach. He tilts his head in what could have been confusion if his eyelights weren’t so empty. “Why are you running away? You’re supposed to be mine.”

You clear your throat awkwardly. “I think a decision like that requires my consent.”

“Do you?”

“No.”

Ink’s eyelights blink. “Oh.” Then, he makes an unexpected lunge and manages to snag your blanket-cape, forcing you closer to him. “I don’t care.”

Ink reaches out to the breastplate of your armor where your small soul thrums and trembles in response to his presence. Almost instinctively, your hand wraps around the handle of your sword. Before Ink manages to force your soul out, you use the pommel to knock him away, scampering a good distance to properly unsheathe your weapon.

“One more step,” you warn him, “and I cut you down.”

Ink stares dispassionately at the sharp end of your blade. “That won’t work. I’ll just come back again.” As if to prove his point, he takes a step closer, letting the blade slice through his scarf and poke at one of his vials.

Panic sinks its talons into your soul and holds on tight. From your peripheral, a crowd of fearful monsters and humans stand and watch everything unfold. There’s nowhere left for them to run.

“So what? I have to do _something!_ ” Your frustration leaks into your voice as you shout at Ink. “You’ve already hurt so many people. You’ve already destroyed entire _worlds._ Because of you, almost everything is gone now. And you don’t care.” You give a warning jab at him when he tries to reach for you again. “You were supposed to be the Protector! You went against your entire purpose and destroyed everything! Aren’t you even the slightest bit regretful for what you’ve done?”

Ink stares at you blankly. Your blade tears at his clothes and scratches at his bones. Even though you mentally wince at the sound, he doesn’t react at all. “I don’t feel anything.”

Right, he’s off his paints. Dream had warned you about this, hadn’t he? Ink can’t be reasoned with at this state. You’re not even sure if he can be reasoned with at all.

A bitter taste rises at the back of your throat at how unaffected Ink appears by everything. Fighting him yourself won’t work. Talking to him won’t work. How in the world will you be able to defeat someone like this? It’s as if you’re being set up for failure.

You feel a hand rest on your wrist before it snaps closed around it like a bear trap. Your single moment of distraction was all it took to get caught. Ink forces you to lower your weapon as he steps closer –

Only to be stopped short when blue strings tangle around his limbs and joints.

_“Get away from them.”_

Error stumbles into view, looking disheveled and pissed as a cat left out in the rain. He plants himself between you and Ink. For a few, tense moments, he glares at his opposite, fingers twitching at the strings connected to his hands. Then, to your surprise, Error lets out a sigh and his glare drops.

“You went too far this time, squid. Destroying words. Causing havoc. That’s supposed to be _my_ job, remember?” His voice is surprisingly soft and calm as he scolds Ink. The artist’s empty sockets stare right back at the glitch. When Ink doesn’t answer, Error sighs again and draws back his hand. Vials of paint connected to the strings come flying into his hand. He takes the yellow, blue, and red vials and uncorks them. “C’mon, let’s get you sorted out. You’re just acting weird because you’re not taking your paints. Open up.”

Before Error can successfully make Ink consume the paints, someone – a monster – stumbles out from the crowd and angrily points at Error. “What are you doing?! Just kill him already! He’s too dangerous to be kept alive!”

The rest of the crowd let out murmurs of agreement behind him.

Error lets out a glitched groan. “Underfell monsters,” he mutters to himself, “it’s always the Underfell monsters.” Then, in a louder voice, he sneers, “Don’t tell me how to do my own job, genius. Ink is more important in one piece than dust. He’s the only one who can –”

“Fine!” The monster storms up to the artist with a magic attack ready. “If you’re too much of a coward to dust him, then I’ll just do it _myself_.”

Error’s eyelights start to frizzle with panic. “You idiot! Don’t –

The monster never manages to get close enough to get a hit. To everyone’s mute horror, Ink somehow got an arm free from Error’s strings and used it to brandish his giant brush. Upon contact, the colors seep out of the monster in an alarming rate until there’s nothing left but an outline. With nothing to support it, the black lines collapse into themselves and leave behind a puddle of something darker than black.

_“Fuck.”_

At Error’s hissed exclamation, everyone starts to run. Using the colors he just poached, Ink swipes at the rest of the strings holding him captive and cuts himself down. His eyelights focuses on you. Before he can go after you, an aggressive blast from a glitchy gaster blaster forces him to jump away.

“Oh no you don’t! Get back here, Ink!”

As if to spite him, Ink jumps into the fleeing crowd and spins his brush, taking colors from his surroundings and using them to summon his own gaster blasters to counter the ones attacking him. “Out of my way, Error. I don’t have time to play.”

Error teleports “Drink your stupid paints!”

“No,” Ink says and slaps Error away with his brush. “I won’t drink them ever again. I don’t need them anymore.”

You stare at the battle in front of you, too shocked to make a move as Error flings himself at Ink with a frustrated scream. The two continue to clash.

Geno surprises you by seemingly appearing out of nowhere. “Kid, we gotta go!” He grips you by the arms and starts to tug you away from the ensuing battle. “Let’s get out of range before it gets too messy.”

You scramble up to your feet. “Geno, I can’t just leave. Ink wants me.”

“All the more reason to leave, kiddo.”

You rip yourself out of his grip. _“No._ If I leave, he’ll just follow, and more people will get hurt. I can’t let that –” You catch sight of his back. “Geno. Geno, your _wing_.”

Geno winces and flexes one of his wings. The other remains limp and broken. “Yeah. Got that from the surprise tumble. You’d think that being the God of Miracles, I’d have more luck, but I guess I’ve used it all up too soon. Don’t worry, I don’t have to fly to get you somewhere safe. And reinforcements are coming. Core went to warn Dream and the others. They should be at this side of the AntiVoid any second now.” 

As if summoned by his words, an onslaught of arrows rains down on Ink, attempting to pin him down in place. Ink easily dances away from the attacks. “Dream.”

“Ink.” Dream’s eyelights flash brightly as he notches another arrow. His voice rings clearly despite the distance between them. “Stop this or I’ll be forced to take you down. And I won’t hesitate.”

Ink takes more colors and aims at the Guardian of Positivity. “I already did too much to turn back now.”

You don’t see more than that. Geno whisks you away from the battle. This time, you don’t struggle. You can tell that staying will only hinder everyone. You and Geno take care to avoid the growing puddles. You flinch when a careless human trips and falls into the liquid.

Except, it isn’t liquid at all.

The human shrieks as she falls _through_ and _down_ into dark, darker, yet darker. You shudder as you watch since there’s nothing else you can do. You know that place. You’ve been there before.

“Yeah,” Geno confirms grimly, “it’s the Void. Let’s not trip into that. I’d rather not return to that place.”

But that raises the question: How _can_ parts of the Void exist in the AntiVoid? Is the universe really this broken that both are able to coexist?

The ground under your feet shudders and the pieces of the Omega Timeline start to break and separate into islands, stranding some unfortunate stragglers. They’re the lucky ones. The rest fall into the Void as it greedily snaps them up.

“Lord Miracle!”

You nearly cry in relief when you hear TK’s voice. Your friend rushes over to your side and makes quick work on patching up Geno’s wing by turning back time. You hear him sigh and stretch out both wings. He shoots you a grin. “I can fly us to safely.”

“Sorry, but that isn’t going to be possible.” If TK didn’t sound so tired, you’re sure that he would’ve sounded apologetic. “Chief sent me to fetch you and anyone else who’s left. Ink isn’t holding back.”

“They need a miracle,” Geno concludes. “I’ll go. But make sure Reader is safe. Got it?”

TK nods solemnly. “I promise.”

You shake your head. They’re not even asking for your opinion! This is _your_ problem and they’re both acting like it isn’t! “No, Geno! Don’t leave me behind! Let me come with you! I can fight!”

Geno comes forward and cradles your face and presses his skull against your forehead. “I’m not saying you can’t. I know you can.” He takes your hands and squeezes them. “But I’m selfish. I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourself for the rest of us – don’t lie. I know that’s what you’re going to do. You can’t lie to me, kiddo. Your face is still like a book to me.”

“Don’t go,” you beg him softly.

Geno smiles, bittersweet.

“I love you, kiddo.”

And then, with one last squeeze of your hands, Geno is gone.

Even with the heaviness in your soul, you don’t linger for long. You and TK flee from the growing darkness around you. You both help as many people as you can, but, eventually, it all gets too much. TK can stave off the Void puddles for so long with his magic.

TK surprises you when he lets out a sharp whistle. It summons a blaster that didn’t belong to him. You blink when you see it. “Baskerville the III?”

TK cracks a smile at your recognition. “Chief said to leave this one with you when things got too hairy.” He ushers you to climb onto the blaster’s snout. “The Void is spreading too fast for me to hold back. You have to go help them stop Ink. The more colors he takes, the more the Void grows.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?” You ask him even though you know his answer. And just as you guessed, TK confirms that he isn’t coming with you. “Sorry, Blank. There are still people who need my help. Go kick Ink’s ass for me, okay?”

You don’t trust your voice. You nod.

“Good luck, Blank.” And with those parting words, TK sees you off with a boyish grin. It’s the last thing you see before you and Baskerville the III plunge through the sea of Void. For what seems like forever, you both travel through the emptiness.

Death meets you mid-way. Reaper offers you an empty smile when he catches sight of you. “It’s too late now, kid.” He fiddles with a colorful feather. His scythe and kinder counterpart are nowhere in sight. “This is the end. Save yourself. You’re all that’s left now.”

Reaper hums a little tune and floats away from you until he’s too far out to see or hear anymore. It’s either that or the Void swallowed him up too.

You cling onto Baskerville the III and pray that what Reaper said wasn’t true. There has to be someone left. There _has_ to.

Then, you hear the sounds of fighting. Geno and Dream aren’t there, but Error is. He’s still locked in battle with Ink. The sight allows you a second of relief before it drops into sheer terror as the Void suddenly spread under Error’s feet, catching him off-guard.

You scream for him. You reach out for him – you’re close enough to grab onto his hand if you tried (you _are_ ). Ink reaches out for him too.

But that doesn’t stop the Void. It takes him as quickly as it took the rest. Error made no sound.

Everything becomes a blur after that. Baskerville the III falls apart under you now that he no longer has magic supporting his form. You launch yourself off of the blaster and unsheathe your sword, bringing it down on Ink. You’re angry, you think, or you should be. You feel too numb to really know. Instead of bone, your blade meets Ink’s brush.

You snap it into two.

In the next blink, you have Ink under you. The tip of your blade hovers over his ribs.

It’s over.

* * *

**[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated Ink! Now, to complete your amended mission, strike the enemy down to SAVE the Multiverse!]**

**[There is no other option.]**

* * *

You should run him through. You really should.

You pause when you see something roll down Ink’s face. Tears? But he can’t – No. Not his. _Yours_. You’re crying. You don’t know when you started, but you haven’t stopped. You’ve cried enough to make it look as if Ink has cried his fair share too.

Ink doesn’t fight back for all it’s worth. He doesn’t move even as you cry on him and press your blade against his chest. He just stares at you as if simply the sight of you would fill up the hole that is his existence. Ink is completely content with where he is – or, at least, as content as a soulless being is capable of being. And even if he wasn’t, there is nothing he can do. No more colors to steal from. No more weapons to use.

There’s nothing left.

You toss your sword away into the Void.

“I refuse.”

* * *

**[There is no other option.]**

* * *

“Then offer more options!” You snap as it continues to repeat that horrible phrase. “Because I’m not doing it!”

Your sword rematerializes next to you, completely untouched by the Void.

What’s the _point_? There is nothing left to save. You hate the voice spitting out demands at your ear. Hasn’t it demanded enough from you? Haven’t you done _enough_? If the voice can bring back your sword, why can’t it bring back your friends?

You throw it away again. It reappears next to you. Again.

When you pick your sword up to throw it away again, your arms lock up. Then, slowly, as if a puppet on strings, your hands turn it down towards Ink’s chest once again. This time, it’s insistent on having the blade meet its mark. You struggle.

“No! _No!_ I refuse! **I refuse!”**

* * *

**[Repeated Command: Strike Ink Down]**

**[Ṯ̸̜̠̀h̸̪͈͐e̴̢̾r̷͉͚̈́̆̉ȇ̸̹̀ ̴̾** **̳͝i̶̟̳̤͗̅s̷̛̓̈ ̵̍̀** **̡̮̱͝n̸̟̟̄o̸͖̓͐ ̴͙̠̈ȏ̵̮̜̿ẗ̶̘́́h̶** **͔̀͝e̸̺̽́̕r̴̰̆ͅ ̵͖͔͍́ö̵̜͉̣p̵̔** **͙͚̅͝t̵̡͂i̷̱̠̖̿̾̕õ̶̙̦͌̚͜ǹ̸͚̈̀]**

* * *

**(Not if I can do anything about it.)**

The sword disappears from your hands. The unseen force making your limbs move is gone.

“…Narrator?”

You can barely believe your own ears.

**(Reader, I need you to make a choice. We don’t have much time. The system might kick me out any minute now.)**

You shake yourself out of your disbelief. You climb off of Ink, still not trusting that you won’t lose control of yourself again. The artist remains in his position, perhaps too numb and weak to move. “How can I trust you?” you demand. “Just like before, you’re telling me nothing. You aren’t being clear with me. You never were. You expect me to blindly follow what you say. I can’t do that anymore.”

**(…You’re right.)**

“What?”

**(You’re right. I haven’t been clear with you. I assumed and pushed for you to remember things that you obviously lost. I had a hand in destroying your predetermined ending. Because of that, I threw the Multiverse into chaos. And even then, I blamed you for my own crimes. I know my mistakes. I know what I have done. This is the truth.)**

Narrator pauses letting the words settle in your mind. Of course, that isn’t the end of it. Narrator always has something to add.

**(But I do not regret it. And I am mostly helping you because it serves my own purpose. That is also the truth.)**

“And you were doing so well, too,” you sigh.

**(You required me to be more straightforward with my feelings and intentions. That is what I am giving you. I am incapable of feeling regret, so do not waste your time seeking a response you will never receive.)**

With a grimace, you climb onto your feet. Ink responds to your movement with a flinch. His eyelights sharpen and train onto you as if fearful that you’ll disappear into the Void like Error. You’re half-tempted to. The Void, at least, is more consistent than the lot you’re stuck with.

**(For all my cruelty and manipulations, I have never lied to you. If you let me help you leave this place and free you from the System, I promise that I will reveal everything.)**

* * *

**[Option: Save Everyone]**

**[Fulfill the promise you made. Finish your original mission. Deliver the gift.]**

**[Requirements: Trust, Acceptance, and Ink]**

**[Accept?]**

***Yes *No**

* * *

**(But that is your own decision to make. I am not in control.)**

A choice. Narrator is giving you a choice.

…

Well, there’s nothing truly left to lose, is there? Everything is gone, but Narrator sounds like there’s still something left to save. Maybe it might fix everything. Maybe it won’t. But it’s better than the nothingness around you. And it’s certainly better than losing control of yourself again.

Your turn and look down at the cause of it all. Ink. Now that the anger and terror is drained out of you, he seems so vulnerable and silent. You kneel down to his side and help him up.

“Stay?” Ink inquires, finally speaking up. For an emotionless husk, he sounds so desperately hopeful when he feels your touch. He makes a weak grab for your sleeve and clings on with all the energy he has. “You’ll stay?”

“No, _we_ are going to _go_.”

You press “Yes” and hold onto Ink as tightly as you can. It ends up being the right thing to do when a portal appears underneath the both of you. You don’t know where Narrator is trying to take you, but you know your body doesn’t like it. It rebels against the action. It struggles. And then, it starts to unravel. Eventually, whatever is holding you back lets you go.

You and Ink fall.

And fall.

* * *

And then, you open your eyes to an endless white.

You know this place. _You know this place_. Even if it looks like any other corner of the AntiVoid, you _know_ that this is the same place behind the gray door. You look down at your hands and try not to cry. This body – you know this body too. It’s the very same one you had left behind. Betrayal is familiar, but it still lies bitter on your tongue. “You tricked –

**(Don’t be foolish.)** Narrator interrupts you. **(I told you that I still need you, didn’t I? What purpose would it serve to betray you before I get what I want? This was the only way to slip out of the system’s control.)**

Your anger fizzles out and your shoulders sags at the sound reasoning presented to you. You don’t like it here, but as Narrator says, this was the only way. “Okay.” You take a calming breath. “Okay. I got out. Now what?”

**(Now, this is going to be the more difficult part. You need to come to me.)**

Your eyes widen. “ _To_ you?”

**(Yes, yes, you are finally going to see my face. It’s exciting. Get on with it or you’ll never get your answers. Oh, and don’t forget Ink. He’s right behind you.)**

Just as Narrator says, Ink is behind you. He’s curled up into a fetal position on the ground. You walk over to him cautiously. Looking closer, you can see that his body is wrought with violent shudders as he silently sobs into his torn scarf. “No,” he whimpers as he rubs at his chest, “no, no, _no_.”

Sympathy fills you at the sight. It seems that you’re not the only one who’s afraid of the emptiness. “Ink, it’s okay,” you soothe as you take his hand, “I know it’s scary. I’m scared too. But we can’t stay here. So, let’s go together. Okay?”

Ink nods and latches onto your hand.

Following Narrator’s directions, you walk out into the emptiness with Ink holding your hand. You both walk for a long time. Without any landmarks to tell you where you are, your journey seems aimless. And yet, you do as Narrator says. The longer you walk, the more uneasy you feel. “Narrator, this isn’t a trick…is it?”

**(Oh, ye of little faith. It’s a long walk, I admit, but I had to make sure you never found this place just in case you got it in your head to leave the position I left you in and go exploring. Not too long now.)**

And as promised, you see the beginnings of a path. It’s faint at first – like spiderwebs or hairline cracks. You almost miss it. But then, the more you and Ink walk, the more pronounced the lines become. Trees begin to line up at the sides of the path. They’re all carelessly drawn in by a lazy hand. The path becomes more and more detailed the deeper you go. And soon enough, the trees give way to houses – a town?

You jump when you encounter the first ‘person’ – if you can even call it that. It doesn’t have a face, though the outline of it reminds you of a monster you must’ve met and passed during your many adventures through the Underground. You and Ink pass by more and more incomplete sketches of different monsters. Some smudged. Some scribbled out. But all lifeless. Empty.

Abandoned.

“What is this place?”

**(An incomplete universe. The Creator gave up in its creation partway through in their frustration. Now, all that exists are sketches and prototypes that will never be completed.)**

You pause mid-step. You look at your surroundings with new eyes.

**(This place is also Ink’s original birthplace.)** Narrator adds. **(Not that he remembers.)**

You glance at Ink. He isn’t acting any differently, so you guess that Narrator is right. Still, it’s sad. Ink came from a lonely and silent world like this. How could he bear it? Your chest throbs at the thought.

You and Ink start moving again. You reach the end of the incomplete town that you’re nearly certain was supposed to be some version of Snowdin. A little ways off, you see distant figures all gathered up together as if posing for a photo.

**(Almost there. Just a little further.)**

Ink suddenly breaks away from your side and runs.

“Wait, Ink! Where are you going?!”

**(Follow him.)**

You do. You scramble after him as quickly as you can, but your legs are shorter, and Ink is _fast_. Eventually, the artist skids to a complete stop in front of the figures, allowing you to catch up. As you catch your breath, you notice that he’s standing in front of…a very familiar group of monsters.

Asgore, Toriel, Undyne, Alphys and…

Papyrus.

Your soul pangs at the way Ink stares at the concept sketch of who was once his brother. Empty boxes connect to different parts of this Papyrus’ scarf and a scribble takes out half of his skull like a wound.

The rest are similarly incomplete. Undyne’s face isn’t even drawn in. All of them are so still and quiet. They don’t respond to Ink’s presence and it breaks your heart to see it. You take Ink’s hand and give it a tug. “C’mon. We have someone to meet. We’ll come back to see them after, I promise.”

After you say this, the Papyrus _moves_. His visible eyelight lands on Ink and soften at the sight of his brother. Then, it shifts down to you, making you jump. After a brief moment of assessing you, the Papyrus inclines his head in greeting.

**(Hello, Reader. We finally meet again.)**

* * *

**End of Act VI: Balance**

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**


	38. Discarded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Narrator answers your questions, as promised. The truth that has been out of your reach for so long is finally revealed.
> 
> You're not going to like it.

“Narrator?”

You hardly believe it. But then, the incomplete Papyrus shifts yet again. He nods in confirmation, cementing the fact that Narrator, the mean voice in your head, is a _Papyrus_. It’s…a concept that you’re having a bit of a rough time accepting despite the proof right in front of you.

**(Welcome to _________tale, Reader.)**

Narrator’s mouth moves along with the voice sounding in your head. It’s such a disorienting experience. His expression softens once again when Ink inches closer to him, eyelights void of any emotion.

**(Welcome back, brother. I had hoped you would never come back here. Still, it is nice to see you again.)**

Ink doesn’t answer. Instead, his legs give out and he collapses onto the ground. Narrator reaches out for him, but an unseen limitation to his own body pulls him short. He forces himself to draw back as you kneel down to help straighten Ink up into a sitting position.

**(I believe that there are some things we must discuss.)**

* * *

**Beginning of the Final Act: _________tale**

* * *

**(I promised answers, did I not? Well, now that our situation is more stable, I am willing to sate your curiosity. Ask away.)**

“I want to know what your goal is,” you answer almost immediately. “What is the mission you keep talking about? What is it that you desperately want me to do? To the point that the Multiverse fell apart for it?”

**(You do not remember, but it was here when I made my offer. You agreed and accepted the terms.)**

…What?

You try to dig up any memory of this interaction. It doesn’t work, obviously, but you had to try. Your thoughts then latch onto the question of _how_ that was possible. In what sort of situation would you have been able to end up in _________tale in the first place?

Or maybe…you didn’t wind up here at all.

You look down at your hands. They still retain the color you had gained from your adventures that seemed like forever ago. And before that…

They had been sketched-out outlines.

Oh.

“I’m…Frisk.” You test out the old name you had discarded so long ago. You slowly look back up at Narrator. “I’m your Frisk.”

**(Perhaps long ago you were.)** Narrator admits. **(But…no. Like everyone else here, Frisk had been an incomplete prototype based on the original Frisk. Empty. You just filled the empty space.)**

You feel a chill run down your spine. “Then _who am I?”_

**(The Destroyer told you about Creators, correct?)**

Error mentioned that they were beings who meddled and made timelines complicated. He also said that they are responsible for the creation of many AUs. To them, you are all stories. It had made your head spin but now, it makes your stomach sink when an idea begins to form in your mind.

“Was I a Creator?”

Narrator makes a noncommittal noise. **(Perhaps. Perhaps not. But what you truly are is a Reader, a witness who had the direct invitation from the Author to play along with the events of the story. In this case, though, it was through a direct invitation from me.)**

You don’t like the sound of that. Narrator makes it sound like a game. “I don’t feel like a Reader.”

**(You hold only a fragment of a whole right now, barely enough to truly take after the original. It is for the purpose of an immersive and inclusive experience. The rest of you is sitting behind a screen, watching.)**

Your head is hurting. This is all too much. Every aspect of your own identity is being dissected and deemed fake this entire time.

“I don’t remember any of this. Why don’t I remember?”

**(That was my fault.)** Narrator admits freely. He looks the closest he can ever be to being contrite. **(I underestimated the AntiVoid and its hunger. I left you alone for only for a few minutes to get things ready and, just like that, your memories of our interaction – of who you really are – erased. I didn’t know it then, but I realize it now. I had proceeded with the plan under the assumption that you knew the entire picture. I had thought…I had thought you were being needlessly cruel and selfish when you didn’t follow the mission.)**

“And the mission was…?”

**(To deliver my brother’s soul to him.)**

“Your brother’s –” You cut yourself off. No. No, you must’ve heard him wrong.

**(That’s right. With my _brother’s soul._ I would know. I was the one who painstakingly picked up the pieces of his soul and put it back together.)** Narrator tilts his head. **(Didn’t you ever wonder _why_ that soul in your chest started out so colorless? Or why it’s always trembling? It’s as if it’s supposed to belong to a monster, don’t you think?)**

It does.

So many things you hadn’t questioned before starts to become glaringly obvious. The way the soul looked when Geno first drew it out – _like a piece of paper torn apart and poorly put back together_ – you should’ve known something was off the moment you saw it. It looks so jarringly different from the human souls you’ve seen during your adventures. And it’s because it isn’t a human soul. It’s a monster’s.

The soul isn’t trembling because it’s fragile, it’s trying to get back to its natural, inverted position. The soul hadn’t been sucked dry of its Determination. It didn’t even have any in the first place.

This is not your soul.

You think it might be shock that’s making everything so distant as you try to comprehend, well, _everything_. But then, you feel your consciousness sink into something that is greater than yourself. You feel yourself sink and stretch beyond your body, beyond _________tale, beyond some unseen barrier. And then, you make a connection with something.

With some _one._

You see a screen. Bright light pours out, highlighting a screen full of words. This is…so much. Too much. But you can’t escape. You’re just a drop in a great sea.

And then, you are all back in _________tale Frisk’s body, more than you were before.

“Narrator.”

Narrator seems to sense the shift. After giving you a once-over, he smiles faintly.

**(Reader?)** There is more weight, more _meaning_ when he says the title. He knows that he is speaking to the one behind the screen, not just the fragment. **(Well. Everything’s fallen apart already, so I suppose the fourth wall can go too. At least now you can return my brother’s soul on your own terms.)**

Disbelief.

“Are you kidding me?” Hands gesture down at the monster at your feet. Anger, there’s so much anger that you’re drowning in it. “After everything Ink has done, you expect me to just reward him with the soul Blank worked so hard on? Just like that?”

Narrator’s smile extinguishes instantly at the words.

**(That was the deal, yes.)**

“I don’t remember agreeing to anything like that, Narrator. Honestly, it felt like the conversation was completely one-sided right from the beginning.” Distrust. 

**(You consented when you clicked on the link of this story. You could have turned away and left at any moment, but you stayed. I promised you a story and I delivered. Now, it’s your turn.)**

A shake of a head. “I can’t give away something so precious to someone who wouldn’t even know how to appreciate it, much less someone who’s willing to throw the entire Multiverse under the bus for a selfish purpose.”

**(Ink is only the way he is _because_ he lacks a soul. My brother hadn’t always been soulless, as you know. He _felt_. He felt so much that he ripped himself apart out of loneliness because this AU could never give him what he needed. Our Creator abandoned us, but even they didn’t truly exist. Our true Creator – _Ink’s_ true Creator – needed a tragic backstory for my brother and we are the consequence.)**

Acknowledgement. Guilt. Pity, but – “Without this soul, Blank won’t be Blank anymore. What happened to Ink was terrible, but Blank doesn’t deserve any of this. They fought too hard and done too much to just become some sort of sacrifice for someone who took away everything from them.” Protectiveness. Insistence.

**(You don’t understand. The being you call ‘Blank’ is composed of my Frisk’s body, my brother’s soul, and a piece of you. As fond as you have become of Blank, they do not truly exist. They are simply a generic, blank space for you Readers to fill yourselves into.)**

Shock.

“That can’t be –

**(True? Think what you want. It doesn’t matter. If it’s ‘Blank’ that you care so much for, then I will make it clear that even if they keep Ink’s soul, they will cease to exist either way. A large part of them is _you._ Without you to drive them forward, Blank will no longer be Blank even with a soul. A Reader can only stick to a story for so long. And an Author can’t write forever. As creative and driven as she can be, even she has her limits. And she has passed that. This is the end, Reader.)**

Distrust slowly turns into realization and then into denial. Unfair, this is all so _unfair_!

“No. There _has_ to be another way for Blank to have a happy ending! You changed the entire story before, didn’t you?” Hope bubbles in the chest at the thought. “Can’t you just make another soul? Or, or, take another one from a different timeline! _Anything!_ ”

**(A soul is not something so cheap that it can be recreated so easily!)** Narrator snaps. **(If I could do something as simple as that, none of this would have been necessary. Every adventure, every trait gained, every pain felt, all of this is crucial to maturing the soul to the point that Ink’s body wouldn’t reject it. Anything less would never work. This was why I pushed you so hard to leave the AntiVoid.)**

“So that’s it. We can’t do anything about it.”

**(Reader, Blank is not alive. From the very beginning, they were an existence created to be thrown away.)** Narrator stops and looks down at his brother. **(…just like us.)**

There is a sense of resignation that settles on shoulders. Defeat tastes bitter on the tongues unused to endings in a story like this, but you all eventually accept it. There will be other stories you can look to. Kinder ones with happy endings. All of you reach for the soul to pull it out and –

_“No.”_

You are just a drop in a great sea, you thought. But you couldn’t have been any more wrong. As the rest of the sea begins to accept what Narrator says, you start to burn. You start to resurface. You wake up. The connection between vessel and Reader cuts off as abruptly as a slammed door. Something is still there – it has always been. You grasp at Narrator’s pants and tug at them so he can look at you. So he can _see_ you.

“I am Blank.”

Narrator stares at you in dumbfounded silence. You don’t let his confusion stop you. You aren’t finished yet.

“I am not just an empty existence. This can’t be _all_ Ink’s soul or Frisk’s body or even the consciousness of the Reader. These feelings I’ve felt, these memories I’ve made, the choices I’ve decided, they’re mine. Not theirs. I am alive, Narrator,” you say desperately _. “I am alive_. I…I have to be.”

There is a moment of long, drawn-out silence before Narrator answers you. **(Yes, you are alive.)** Then, almost disbelievingly, he asks, **(How?)**

“Didn’t you say it many times yourself? You changed the ending of a story and turned it into something else. That sounds like something a _Creator_ would do, doesn’t it? And you created _me_.”

**(I have killed you.)** There is a growing horror to his words as the truth of it all finally sets in. **(You are alive, and I have killed you.)**

“Not yet,” you insist. The fire in your chest continues to burn. “I’m not finished yet. There are things left to do and you are going to help me, Narrator. The Multiverse broke. You’re going to fix it with me.”

**(Fix it? How? It’s all gone. The Void swallowed all of it. You’ve seen it with your own eyes.)**

Yes, and it was terrible to witness. But you also know that individuals who fall into the Void don’t actually disappear. They’re just tucked away, out of sight, out of mind, but still very much there. Knowing this, you wonder, what if it’s the opposite for the AntiVoid?

You’ve always wondered why it was a place that is _empty_ if it was supposed to be the opposite of the Void itself. Now, you have a sense of why.

After all, all stories begin with a blank page.

“You said this was a story, right? How many chapters are there left? Or is this the final one?”

**(…There is two more.)** Narrator tells you, watching you diligently as you look at your surroundings once again.

The emptiness used to frighten you so much to the point that you couldn’t move. But now it only leaves you with a sense of discomfort at how incomplete it looks. Your hands itch for something colorful – a crayon or paint.

**(How do you plan to make this happen? Even if there is still some room left to try to save everything, I doubt the Author would help you make more work for herself.)**

“Don’t worry, the Author doesn’t have to strain herself more than she planned to,” you assure Narrator. “We have two Creators here, after all.”

**(Two?)**

You close your eyes and hold out your hands. Any inkling of disbelief, you suspend. This is a place of creativity. In theory, the fragment of a Reader should be able to create too, right? There is always that potential. You start to imagine what you want. You hold onto the little details that you are able to remember and then –

A quiet _pop_ sounds in front of you and something falls into your arms, making you fall back. Your eyes snap open and you look at what you’re holding. You let out a disbelieving laugh. It worked. Ink’s brush is really here, large and unbroken. You see a very faint spark of recognition flicker across the Artist’s eyelights when he sees what you are holding. He even stretches out a hand for it.

You want to give it to him, but you need to do something first. “Sorry, I’ll just borrow this for a little bit, and you can have it back after that, okay?”

With a little maneuvering, you manage to hold the brush properly. Now, for the paint. You imagine for it. This time, you don’t even have to close your eyes for it to happen. You start to draw on the white floor.

**(How did you do that.)** Narrator all but gapes at you your creations. With a proud smile, you finish your drawing and watch as it comes to life. A map unfurls at your feet. **(You do know that painting that is unnecessary. You can just _imagine_ it to life like you did with Ink’s brush.)**

You flush. “It helps me focus, okay?” You pick up the map and show its contents to Narrator. “Here, I want you to finish this for me.”

**(What is this?)**

“_________tale. You are going to help bring it to life with the ending you took away from me. I wrote down certain things that I want to be there, but you can fill the blanks.” Your lips instinctively quirk up at your unintentional play of words. “Surprise me, Narrator.”

Narrator’s visible eyelight widens. **(You trust me to do this? Don’t you want to have a say in what happens?)**

“What use is an adventure if I know what happens from the beginning to the end?” You tilt your head. “But, if it means so much to you…promise me that you will respect every one of my wishes that I wrote down.”

Narrator stares at you for a moment longer before he gives you a short nod. He takes the map and summons a pen.

**(All right. I promise, Blank. I’ll see what I can do for you.)**

It takes some time and no time at all for Narrator to finish. When he does, he tosses the completed map onto the floor in front of you and Ink. In a blink, it’s gone and replaced with a familiar, gray door. You turn to Ink and offer him his brush and your hand. “C’mon, Ink. Let’s get out of here.”

Ink wordlessly takes what you offer and climbs onto his feet, supported by his brush. He clings onto it as a child would to a well-loved stuffed animal. You turn back to Narrator and the rest of the silent, sketched out residents of _________tale.

“I can’t take any of you. I’m sorry.”

Narrator shakes his head. **(No. This is better for us. We are beings without any soul or feelings. Trying to bring us to life like the Creators did for Ink would cause more suffering and chaos than necessary.)**

“Thank you, Narrator. I trust that you’ll narrate properly this time?” You tease. The other lets out a sigh. **(Yes, and no meddling. I promised. Good luck, Blank.)**

You turn back to the door and reach out for the doorknob. There is no hesitation this time as you open the door. You aren’t afraid of what’s on the other side. You are ready. The other side is dark and unclear to you, but you don’t let that stop you.

You are filled with DETERMINATION.

With a comforting squeeze of Ink’s hand, you step through. And then, you and Ink fall.

And fall.

But you have experienced this many times before. You keep holding onto Ink and you brace yourself for impact. And then, it happens:

You both land face-first into a bed of golden flowers.

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

***Yes *No**


	39. Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the new and improved _________tale where you're running on borrowed time and your only constant companion is a soulless skeleton with a penchant of creating chaos wherever he goes.
> 
> There are no Save Points. There is no RESET button. This is your one and only shot.
> 
> The only way is to go forward. Good luck.

The flowers smell lovely as always, but the ache of the impact ruined any possibility to enjoy the familiarity.

You’d think after the last seven times, you would be used to how your head rang after the fall. With a miserable groan, you heft yourself up into a sitting position to look around. Beside you, Ink lies still. He stares upwards to where you both fell from with his brush clutched to his chest. You wonder if he can feel the pain of the fall too.

You climb onto your feet and look around.

“It’s exactly the same,” you muse to yourself as you take in the entirety of the room. At the corner of your eyes, you see Ink slowly sitting up. “I sure hope the rest of this Underground is more creative. It’d be pretty underwhelming if he didn’t, right Ink?”

Ink remains silent. Instead of answering, his free hand reaches over and clutches onto the back of your striped sweater like a child seeking comfort.

“…Right. You can’t respond very well without your paints.” You let out a sigh before untangling his fingers from your clothes. You help him stand while he clings onto your hand. “I’m happy that you’re behaving and not sucking the colors out of anyone, but this might make things a little difficult if we want to make it through the Underground.”

But that’s a problem that you’ll just have to tackle once you get there. For now, the goal is to move forward.

**(A familiar Underground so far, but how long will it last? Despite the uncertainty ahead of you, you decide to Continue. You are filled with Determination.)**

You take a deep breath and squeeze his hand.

“All right. Let’s do this. I have no idea what your brother’s spin in _________tale’s Underground has in store for us, so stick with me, okay?”

Ink’s fingers twitch in your grip. You think that’s as good of a sign you can ever get from the artist at this point. You and Ink move onto the next room. Your brace yourself for whatever version of Flowey is going to greet you on the other side. It ends up being all for naught when you both walk into an empty room.

_Well_ , you mentally amend when you catch sight of an object where Flowey was supposed to be, _not completely empty._ Upon taking a closer look, you realize that you know what this item is.

“Ink, look! It’s your sash!” A giddy smile overtakes your face as you tug the artist closer to the patch of grass. You pick it up and hold it out for him to take. “Narrator must’ve thought ahead and put this here for you.”

When Ink doesn’t take it, you shake your head at yourself. There you go, forgetting again that Ink needs your help at this state. Freeing your hand from his, you take a vial and uncork it. You press it to his mouth and tilt it back. When he finishes that one, you move onto the next. Before you know it, Ink is taking the vials and downing them all on his own.

The empty vials fall back onto the grass with a muted clink when he’s done. You look at Ink worriedly when he doesn’t move.

“Ink? How are you feeling? Are you – _!!!”_

Within a blink, you’re slammed onto the ground. Wheezing for your breath, you try to scramble away from your attacker, only to get pinned down by having the end of a giant paintbrush pressing down onto your abdomen. You’re abruptly pulled into an Encounter, forcing your soul out into the open. The little soul hovers lazily over your chest as you struggle for air.

Ink’s face looms over you with a grin and a cheeky salute.

“Heya soul-carrier! Mind if I take that back? I’ve been looking for it _everywhere._ ”

“My name is Blank,” you somehow manage to wheeze out. The pressure eases up a little in response, letting you gasp and gulp for oxygen.

“Right,” Ink agrees flippantly, “__________.”

You clear your throat with a cough. “No, I meant –

“Oh! Are you one of the types who prefer (y/n)? I can call you that if you like! Yeah, it sometimes gets a little weird if you just see __________ when you read about a character. It’s like missing a step because it isn’t there and you have to take a bit to rebalance yourself. (y/n) is a lot more straightforward. It automatically makes you think: Yeah! That’s my name!”

“Please don’t,” you say without thinking before the rest of Ink’s words catch up to you. “Wait, you know about the Reader?”

Ink laughs. His eyelights shift into a yellow circle and a green rhombus. “Silly! I’m the creativity behind storylines and AUs! _Of course_ , I’d know about Readers. And the characters who were made to hold them too! Clever, aren’t they? The perfect vessels for Creators to experience stories with their own eyes,” he gushes. “And now, you’re here! Sent for me! With my soul!”

Ink’s excitement shifts into reverence when he mentions his soul. He reaches out for it carefully, stopping when his fingertips barely skim over its surface.

Then, Ink’s eyelights shift again. This time, they’re a blue question mark and light purple swirl. “I should be thanking you in this situation, right?” He smiles down at you with sickly-sweet mockery gratefulness that sends a bolt of panic down your spine. You start to desperately struggle from his hold as his hand starts to close over the soul. “Thank you for dying for me, __________!”

You feel Ink take ahold of the soul and give it a tug. Your vision starts to fuzz, and your body goes slack. Is this…really how it’s going to end?

**(…But it refused. Not yet. This isn’t your time yet.)**

A bright, colorful light suddenly resonates from the little soul, forcing Ink’s hand away from it. Layers of colorful, translucent barriers protectively cover the soul.

“…What?!”

Before Ink can try again, he’s thrown away from you by wave of bone attacks, freeing you.

“Heh. Maybe _don’t_ pick on little kids, you soulless abomination.”

**(You know that voice. It’s a voice that puts you at ease because you know now that everything is going to be all right.)**

You look up, tears welling up in your eyes when you see him. He looks exactly as he did back in the Save Screen – scarf, glitches, and all.

“Geno!”

With an assuring wink, Geno casually positions himself between you and Ink. With a snap of his fingers, he summons three gaster blasters, ready to fire at the other skeleton without any mercy.

Though slightly disheveled from the attack, Ink appears to be fine. He looks between Geno and you before his eyelights shift into an exclamation point and a star. “Oh! So _that’s_ how this AU is going to play out!” A wide and almost unnatural smile reminiscent to Flowey’s stretches across his face. “Making me the villain? What a _wonderful_ idea!”

The blasters all fire at Ink. You let out a worried cry.

“Wait, don’t –!”

When the gaster blasters finish their attacks, Ink is nowhere to be seen. For a moment, you assume the worst before you catch sight of a puddle of ink where the artist once was.

**(Ink ran away.)** Narrator confirms your suspicions.

You let out a sigh of relief and relax.

Geno scoffs. “Good riddance.” He turns back to you and scoops you from the ground, holding you tight. His smile turns soft when he catches sight of your teary eyes. “Heya, kiddo. Missed me?”

You throw your arms around his neck and burst into happy tears.

* * *

Even after your tears run out, you refuse to let go of Geno. That’s fine, since Geno doesn’t seem too eager to let go of you either. He holds you tight against his ribcage before adjusting his hold on you so he can scoop you up. “All right,” you hear him say as he starts to move, “let’s get you to bed.”

Within a blink, Geno has you both in a familiar room.

“Isn’t this…?”

“Yeah. It’s Home.”

**(The bedroom in the cute, tidy house looks as comforting as it always has been. And yet, it’s different. There are no extra shoes or empty photo frames. The room feels free of heavy memories. It almost feels like a fresh start.)**

Geno tucks you into bed. When you’re all settled in, he pats your head. “Rest your eyes, kiddo. I’ll have something ready for you when you wake up.”

“I don’t want to sleep. What if you’re not there when I open my eyes?”

Geno’s smile softens at that. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be in the house when you wake up, okay?” You nod hesitantly and close your eyes. Already, you feel your exhaustion catch up with you. “Sweet dreams, kiddo.”

You wake up hours later with the lights out and a plate full of food placed on the floor near your bed. You rub your eyes and turn on the light. You see a slice of a golden quiche with a side of sliced up water sausages carefully arranged on the plate. When you lift it up, a piece of paper falls onto the ground. You pick it up and read it.

_Wanted you to catch some more z’s so I didn’t wake you up. It’s not Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie, but I hope you like it. Welcome home._

_Hugs and **Quiches** ,_

_Geno_

Warmth fills your chest at the note’s contents. You put it into your inventory for safekeeping before starting your meal.

**(The quiche is still warm. It’s rich and its crust crumbles just right when you take a bite. It pairs well with the water sausages. A lot of love has been put into making this. HP maxed out!)**

After you cleaned out your plate, you go out to find Geno. You find him curled up on a sofa for two near the fireplace. He’s completely immersed in the book in his hands. When you tip toe closer, you see that it’s a Quantum Physics book.

“Sleep well?”

You jump at the sudden question. Geno grins over the textbook. He was pretending not to notice you the entire time! Seeing your pout, he lets out a chuckle and pats the seat beside him, inviting you over. You slide over right next to him and cuddle right into his side. As his arm wraps around your shoulder, you try to read the contents of the page that he’s on.

…You quickly give up. Your head is spinning from all the words. What does it all _mean_?

“It’s a heavy read. It takes a lot of studying and background knowledge to get the hang of this field.” Geno closes the book and reaches over for another book sitting on the small table next to the sofa. Your eyes brighten when you see its cover.

**(“The Mysteries of the Universe,” the cover reads. Golden stardust frames the title, depicting constellations, shooting stars, and galaxies. You trace your hand over the carefully painted planets. It all looks so pretty.)**

“Space!”

You feel Geno ruffle your hair. “Yeah, space. Figured that you’d like to know about our own galaxy after visiting the other one.” To your complete and utter glee, Geno reads it aloud to you. You hang onto his every word and admire every, drawn page. Geno stops when you’re partway through the book.

“Time for a break. Lessons like these needs to be _spaced_ out so your mind doesn’t overheat. It’s about time to eat anyways. Wanna go out and stretch your legs while I get something ready?”

You tilt your head. “Out?”

“Yeah. Just don’t wander too far and make sure to dress warmly. There’s some stuff in your wardrobe that should fit.” Geno goes into the kitchen before you ask him what he meant. You decide to follow his advice and look into the wardrobe. You put on a coat and a scarf. When you step outside of Home, you let out a gasp when you see that the front yard is covered in snow.

It’s as if Snowdin’s weather invaded the Ruins. You explore the entire place, looking at it with new eyes. The puzzles that you come across are different too. They have a more _Papyrus_ flair to them, prioritizing using your head over holding your hand like Toriel’s puzzles did. You have a grand old time traversing this version of the Ruins. You make snowpeople and snow angels. You try a hand at ice skating. You make it all the way back to the entrance of the Ruins before doubling back to Home.

Geno is right there at the dining table, waiting for you with two cups of hot chocolate and two plates stacked with french toast with a side of scrambled eggs.

**(Perfect treats after an adventure in the snow.)**

“Had fun?”

You nod energetically with a mouthful of food. You swallow. “Yeah! I couldn’t find any monsters, though. Did something happen?”

“We’re the only ones here. It’s always been like that in this place. It was just me before you came. Sorry, kiddo,” Geno says apologetically. “I know you like making friends.”

You tilt your head. “But…shouldn’t there be other monsters down here? This is the Underground, isn’t it?”

Geno shakes his head. “No. I don’t think it is. There isn’t anything beyond this section. I checked. But this isn’t completely a bad thing!” He quickly assures you when he sees your troubled expression. “It also means that there’s no barrier to break or other monsters to save. You don’t need to worry about that here.” He places a hand on your shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze. “You don’t need to worry about anything except having fun and staying healthy. You’re a kid. It’s about time you enjoy being one.”

**(You’ve been through so much. So many happy endings exist because of you. You experienced so many close calls and near deaths trying to help others. You deserve a break. You really do.)**

Really? But…

**(Take this opportunity. Have fun. You deserve so much more.)**

…All right.

“All right, Geno. I will.”

And, despite all odds, you do. You let yourself relax and enjoy yourself. You let Geno fuss over you. He never failed to tuck you into bed every night. The house, despite being a small one, seems to always have something new to interact and play with. There would always be new subjects on the bookshelf for Geno to choose from. The weather in the Ruins would constantly be changing and the clothes in your wardrobe would reflect that. Whenever you thought of something you wished you could do, it would happen – extra pillows and blankets for a pillow fort, board games for the days when it rained, art supplies to draw pictures for Geno to treasure and hang up, all of it.

It almost seems timeless in this place. Almost, because there is a calendar hanging on one of the dining room walls, marking off every day you spend in the Ruins. It’s almost been a month ever since you fell. It feels shorter. Every day is always exciting and fun when it’s with Geno there. You’re comfortable. You’re happy. You’re loved.

You wish you could stay here and be happy with Geno forever.

**(…)**

But forever will never happen. You came here for a reason. You’re going through this run for a _reason._ And that reason, no matter how much it hurts you to acknowledge it, is why your time with Geno has a time limit.

“Geno?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Geno’s features turn soft at your words. “Love ya too, kiddo.”

That’s why, you’re going to cherish every single moment you have here until it’s time to go.

* * *

“Aren’t you going to move on? This _is_ how it’s supposed to go, isn’t it?”

One morning, you wake up with Ink standing at the foot of your bed, arms crossed. His eyelights, a red vein-popping symbol and a yellow ‘x’, blink at you as you slowly sit up.

“…How did you get into my room?”

Ink gestures over to a knocked over paint bottle. There’s a puddle of yellow gathering on the floor. You hurry out of your bed to clean it up. You’re certain that you closed every single one of them and placed them all far from the edge. It seems that your surroundings have finally decided that it’s time to move on to the next stage of whatever Narrator planned for you and Ink.

“Oh hey, these are pretty good!” While you were distracted with the clean-up, Ink peruses your wall. It’s covered with your hand-drawn pictures, which Geno helped in putting up. The artist laughs when he comes upon the picture of an angry _Oceantale_ Flowey. “I like the sea anemone one the best. It has character!”

You toss the rag you used to clean into the trash. “Thanks.”

Ink’s attention switches to the next picture. He looks admiringly at the rest of your work, complimenting you on your style and creativity. You can’t help but feel flattered. The amount of detail in the feedback he gives you isn’t something that you’re used to receiving for your art.

“And this one! There’s so much detail you put on drawing Cross’ uniform and his weapons! It’s almost as if you’ve met –” Ink’s eyelights change abruptly in mid-sentence. He whirls around and points at you accusingly, throwing you off at the sudden emotional shift. “Wait! I’m supposed to be angry at you!”

“…Yes? But why?”

“Because I’m _bored_ and you’re doing nothing!” Ink throws his hands up. “How can you stay in one place for so long? This is a completely new AU with a Ruins that changes seasons and a Geno to replace a Toriel. Aren’t you curious on what’s going to happen next?” Suddenly, Ink closed the distance between you two, making you stumble back. “Maybe I should just take my soul back right now.”

_“No!”_ You shout, surprising even yourself by how vehemently you said it. You take a breath and force yourself to calm down. “I mean…no. Don’t do that. I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to tear out the soul in my chest before I’m finished using it.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand, Ink?”

“Well, you were created to be thrown away, weren’t you?” You flinch at the way Ink says that phrase. Like it’s an indisputable fact this is your purpose. “Why fight so much for something that is inevitable?”

You swallow back the bitter response building in the back of your throat. Instead, you tell Ink, “It’s because there’s something I want to do. And I’m **Determined** to see it through.”

“And _I_ want my soul back.”

Ink lets out a frustrated sound when he’s rebuffed again by the barriers around the soul. You stop him before he tries to use his giant paintbrush to shatter the barriers. It might not work, but you don’t want to risk the soul. “No! Don’t do that again! You’ll regret it if you do.”

Ink laughs. “Why? Because of the Geno here? He’s not in the house. He’s distracted by my clone right now, so he won’t be able to save you like he did last time.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s because…” you scramble for an answer “…you’ll ruin the game if you did that!”

“Game?” Ink stops. To your relief, he seems interested in what you’re saying. “What game?”

“It’s a surprise game I commissioned with contents that are unknown even to me. The soul is the prize for finishing it. It was an agreement I made with…” _your brother_ “…a friend of mine. A Creator. He made this world for you.”

Ink’s eyelights turn into stars at your words. “A Creator made something? For _me?”_ He’s blown away at the concept of it. “Really?”

You nod mutely.

“Oh boy!” The artist bounces on his feet and claps his hands in his excitement. He turns back to you questioningly. “A game! For me! From a Creator! _________, why didn’t you say so sooner? I definitely wouldn’t have stood around for an entire _month_ if I knew about this!”

“It’s Blank,” you correct the artist. If you’re going to spend the rest of this run with him, you want him to use your name correctly. Ink tilts his head in genuine confusion. “But that’s what I said?!”

It takes a moment before you realize where the confusion lies. “Not _________, Ink. It’s B-L-A-N-K. Blank. It’s my actual name.”

_“Oh.”_ Ink takes out a small paintbrush from one of his pouches and scribbles a note onto his scarf. There are other information and reminders on there too. Some are outdated and some are crossed out. “Blank. Got it.” He drops the end of his scarf and pocket the little brush. “Well? What are we waiting for, Blank? Let’s find out what your friend has in store for us!”

Then, Ink scoops you up and places you on his shoulders. It all happens too quickly for you to react. You can only hold onto his skull as he rushes out into the hallway. He makes a sound of surprise when he sees that there aren’t any stairs leading down to the basement.

Yeah. It threw you off the first time you saw it wasn’t there too.

“This house doesn’t have a basement. I checked. There might be some similarities, but this version of the Ruins has some major differences if you haven’t noticed. There is a _reason_ I couldn’t move forward, you know.” Well, that’s a lie, but Ink doesn’t have to know that. You point to the door. “Lucky for both of us, I spent my days exploring and I found something behind the house. The door’s locked, though, and I can’t find the key.”

Ink hums in satisfaction. “Of course! The secret lab!”

“…The secret what now?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Ink looks absolutely _thrilled_ to hear that you didn’t know this little fact. It doesn’t seem malicious. Actually, it looks like Alphys whenever she’s given the opportunity to rant about Mew Mew. “Usually, in the AUs that doesn’t stray far from the original timeline, Sans would always have a super-secret lab. The Player needs to reload a lot of times in the Judgement Hall to get the key that unlocks Sans’ room first before getting access to the silver key. _That_ unlocks the door to the super-secret lab.”

“What an overcomplicated way to find a simple key to a door,” you comment.

Ink shrugs. “Sanses tend to be the secretive type. His secrets have secrets. But that’s not important right now. Now, we have a door to open!” He rushes out of Home and only pauses when you start to pull at his scarf for attention. “Wait! Don’t we need to find the key?”

You feel Ink snicker. He takes out the smaller brush and makes a sharp movement, creating a key out of thin air. “Don’t worry! I got it covered. Now, let’s open this door and see what’s inside!”

“Wait,” you stop him again before he inserts the key, “stop.”

“Hm? What is it? Did I forget something again?”

“No. It’s just…I want to say goodbye to Geno before we go.” Your stomach grows heavy at the thought of leaving. “I don’t want to make him worry.”

“Okay,” Ink concedes easily, much to your relief. “I’ll just have my clone wander back and bring him here. A Toriel is always supposed to block the way before the Player moves forward into the rest of the Underground! Let’s get into the super-secret lab first and wait for your friend there!”

You have to admit, you are a little curious about the ‘super-secret lab’ too. You didn’t even know that Sans and Geno had something like this. You watch, enraptured, as Ink slips the key into the lock. He opens up the door with a flourish and steps inside.

“Oh.” The disappointment in his tone sinks like a heavy anchor. “This isn’t interesting at all.”

Your breath catches at the sight in front of you. It’s the Save Screen. Of course it is. Ink treads deeper into the dark room and stops at the single, illuminated patch of grass. Now that you’re both further in, you can see that there’s something else there.

_Seven_ something else’s.

“Hey, wait. Isn’t this supposed to be at the end? What are these doing here?” Ink asked, wandering closer to what you realize are glass containers. _Soul_ containers. And yet…there aren’t any souls? Instead, familiar knick-knacks ranging from broken collars to a handheld telescope rest inside the containers like well-preserved museum pieces.

**“ y o u .”**

Ink turns slowly and smiles sheepishly at an enraged Geno. Even you gulp at the look on his face. In his hand is an equally sheepish Ink clone, who’s melting into, well, ink in Geno’s grip. With a final squeeze, the clone pops and dissipates into a black puddle. You flinch. Ink doesn’t. 

“Let go of my kid if you know what’s good for ya, pal. Or you’ll end up like your doppelganger.”

Ink lets you down from his shoulders and places you right in front of the containers. “You take care of this weird puzzle. I’ll hold off the Geno at the meantime,” he chirps. He sidesteps the first barrage of attacks with a laugh. He dances away from bone attack after bone attack with ease.

**(There is no door in sight. Just the Save Screen and the containers in front of you. But this can’t be it. This _isn’t_ it. There is so much more that you haven’t seen beyond this place. You just need to solve this puzzle. But first, you need to stop the fighting.) **

You call out for the two to stop, but it’s no use. They’re not _listening_.

**(Attempting to reason with Geno right now is pointless. He’s too angry at Ink to hear you. At least Ink is having fun. That makes one of you.)**

You turn back to the containers. The sooner you solve this problem, the sooner you can find a way to break up the fight. You circle the containers. You tap on the glass.

**(But nothing happens.)**

“A hint?” You plead to Narrator. You hear the charging of a gaster blaster and flinch. _“Please?”_

No one answers. Worse yet, the blaster attack misses its target and grazes one of the containers, making it crack. “Oh, for star’s sake –

_Crack._

You pause. You turn your head slowly at the source of the noise. To your surprise, you see a hairline fracture appear in what had originally been an endless darkness. Not taking your eyes off of the crack, you wander over to the affected container. The broken collar lies inside it. You tap at the crack, making it bigger. The hairline fracture in the darkness grows too.

Then, you push the container over. It shatters, letting the collar tumble out. To your dismay, the moment it’s freed, it crumbles away into nothing. You slowly turn to the other containers and brace yourself before doing the same with the others. Your heart breaks even more at every broken container. By the fifth shattering, the sounds of fighting stop.

The cutlass finishes fading away by the time you knock over the container with the telescope.

You can see the beginnings of an exit appear. Relief and success break through your loss at the sight of it. This is not in vain. You’re letting go of these precious things for a reason. You reach for the final container. The empty one.

“Frisk, **s t o p**. Don’t do it.”

The desperation in Geno’s voice stops you. You turn to see him standing just a few steps away. Looking at the expression on his face, it begins to dawn on you that Geno knows what’s happening right in front of him. He’s known the whole time.

“You knew. This entire time, you knew how to move forward,” you accuse him. Geno flinches. Disappointment sinks into your soul at the confirmation of your suspicions. “I thought we agreed no more lies.”

Geno shakes his head. “You don’t understand, Frisk. Please, step away from the container. We can go back Home and talk about this.”

Your eyes narrow as you purposefully place a hand onto the surface of the glass. You’re not pushing it yet, but the threat is clear. “No. I want to know now. _Why?”_

“It’s too dangerous out there. You’ll get hurt. You’ll lose your soul. It’s better if you stay here where you’re safe and happy. Don’t you understand?” Geno pleads softly. He takes a step forward and reaches out for you. He’s so close that he’s just barely touching you. “I don’t want to lose you again, Frisk –”

“Their name is Blank.” Everything stops. You and Geno turn to Ink, who had been sitting back and watching the entire time. The artist is frowning at Geno. “B-L-A-N-K. They told me. Their name is Blank, not Frisk.”

“…”

“He’s right. Did you forget already? I told you back in _Reapertale_ that –” You stop, seeing the blank look on his skull. “Geno, do you remember _Reapertale_? Life’s Garden? Death? Any bells?” You see no recognition in Geno’s eyelights at the names. “No, you wouldn’t, would you? You’re just a memory.”

The memory smiles at you sadly. “That’s not such a bad thing, is it? I’m still Geno. I’m just the one who never left you. I’m the one you could have shared a happy ending with at the Surface. I know this place ain’t that exciting compared to the big, wide Multiverse, but it can still be our home. Just you and me. We can still be happy right here.”

“But then all your possibilities will never _be,_ Geno.”

“You sacrificed so many endings for me. Do you really think that I wouldn’t do the same for you?” He’s completely earnest with every word and it breaks you. Geno holds out his hand once again. “Please. Stay.”

“Geno.” Tears well up in your eyes. You blink them back. “I promised you once that I’d show you real stars under a real sky, didn’t I?”

You knock the last container over.

“I’ll make sure that it comes true for you.”

When it’s all done and over with, Geno is no longer standing in front of you. The memory of him is gone. You let him go. With a deep, steadying breath, you turn to face the exit. Ink comes over right next to you. You barely glance at him. “Let’s go.”

**(The exit glows enticingly, encouraging you to pass through it and into the unknown. This is it. This is the threshold. You are filled with Determination.)**

* * *

On the other side, there is a single, transparent tunnel cutting right through a sea of dark, darker, yet darker. The moment you and Ink step into the path, something comes into view from your peripheral. You jump. Your eyes widen when you see Swap and Fell staring back.

“Gasters!” Ink gasps. “Oh! _Oh!_ This is the Void, isn’t it? And we’re able to stay here without being affected because of this weird tunnel-pathway, right? Oh wow, this is exactly like an aquarium! So cool!”

As he goes off to explore and possibly find more interesting things, you tentatively wave at Swap and Fell. Swap waves back enthusiastically. Fell just nods. Then, they whisper to each other before rushing away from your sight. You blink in confusion at their abrupt departure. But, before you can move on and catch up to Ink, Fell comes back into view with a large mirror. He grumpily offers it up to you.

Confused, you lean in to take a closer look and gasp.

In its reflection, you see a Frisk. They’re smiling and having a picnic at a park. They feed Flowey a piece of butterscotch pie. You see Frisk stifle a giggle at something that Sans said – most likely a pun. Papyrus throws a half-hearted fit, but he’s smiling too. Other familiar faces sit around them, talking and eating together. The monsters you had left behind looking happier and lighter than you left them. Not too far away from the picnic, human and monster children play catch together. It looks so peaceful.

Relief hits you at the sight of them. You smile tremulously at Fell, grateful for his small kindness. He scoffs at your expression and roughly gestures to his side. You turn you head and see an entire line of Gasters holding up their own respective mirrors out to you down the pathway from both sides.

Swap offers you a salute as he offers you the mirror in his hand. In it, you see Chara walking out of a school. They’re doing great, you notice with pride, and they’re surrounded with friends. They say their goodbyes and rush over to the pickup area where Sans and Papyrus wait for them at a scooter. Chara puts on a helmet and hops right behind the older skeleton sibling while Papyrus remains comically squished into a sidecar. With a shared thumbs up, they all go home.

The further you go in, the more you are able to glimpse into the futures you left behind. Frisk, as Chara, sits between their Sans and Papyrus as they take part of an official celebration for the anniversary of the monsters surfacing. They’re taking their role as the Ambassador very seriously and is doing well. You hear a familiar song in the distance, and it continues to follow you even after you move on.

You see that Sunkin continues to sail around the sea, but now on the Surface. Frisk, with Papyrus to guide them, steers the grand ship over crystal waters to some unknown destination.

You see Frisk, not Experiment FR-15K, reach out to another child with a similar tattoo on their shoulder on some unknown planet. Behind them, a spaceship filled with other monsters and many, _many_ other human children wait for their new family member.

You linger at the mirror that shows a single grave amongst the golden flowers. A group of monsters and a single human stands solemnly in front of it, paying their respects. Chara and Asriel look older. You hope that they experienced and enjoyed many things in the Surface. You force yourself to look at Papyrus. He’s crying over the grave. You can still see the aftereffects of your Perseverance in his magic and in the purple tint in his tears as he cries. Just when you begin to move on, a thin, tiny skeletal hand pops up from the dirt like a daisy, shocking everyone.

Everyone helps out on unearthing the tiny thing. The little skeleton, you realize, is wearing a dirty, hand-knitted deltarune sweater. The tears that follow are happy ones.

**(They’re all going to be just fine.)**

Further down, the mirrors change from scenes of the futures to windows into the past. Your battles, your jokes, your triumphs, all of them are there. You see Ink completely entranced by a specific mirror a little way down.

He’s staring at the scene of you breaking a RESET button during the end of your runs.

Ink turns to you, oddly pensive. “You broke it. Every time. Why?”

“Because it’s too much power for a single person,” you try to explain. “I already saw what it did to Geno, and I didn’t want it hurting anyone else. So, I made sure no one ever uses it. Including me.”

Something dawns on Ink. “You’re the sort who stays true to their decisions no matter what consequences that, huh?” He claps his hands, back to his excited self again. “I like it! It makes everything all the more unpredictable! I think this game is going to be pretty interesting with you around!”

When he gives you a hearty pat on the shoulder, a shock runs through your soul. You start to cough, and, to your surprise, blue shards come out. Drawing out your soul, you realize what it is. One of the many colorful barriers around your soul just shattered, leaving behind only five more.

“I did something right!” Ink marvels. “I solved a puzzle! …I think. I don’t really remember what I did. But still! I did it! I –

Ink chokes and throws up. You scramble away from the resulting ink splatter. With an unrepentant laugh, he wipes away the mess with his scarf. You ask him if he’s okay. “Ahaha, it’s fine! It usually happens whenever I experience emotions that are too intense. Forget about me, let’s go! The faster we go, the sooner we can see the rest of what your friend has prepared for us!”

Ink pulls you toward the doors at the end of the tunnel. You wave goodbye to the Gasters before facing forward just as Ink flings them open. Sunlight hits your face, making you flinch at the sudden light. Ink pulls at your hand again, making you stumble through the doorway and into…

Into the Surface.

“Blank!”

At the other side, Core and TK greets you with warm smiles. You separate from Ink to catch TK as he tackles into you for a hug. Core is a little more reserved with their affections, but you can tell that they’re just as relieved to see you.

Ink chooses right then to break the moment.

“Hey Blank, were you always that size?”

* * *

Somehow, your body grew the moment you stepped through the doors. After inspecting it, you realize that it’s the same size as the discarded vessel. Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice your expressions for the size upgrade this time. You don’t feel too bad in outgrowing your small size. It’s better this way. Now, you’re able to keep in pace with Ink without him yanking you around.

Good thing, too. Ink is practically bouncing all over the place the moment his mismatched eyelights take in the sight of the town TK and Core brings you to.

“Welcome to New Omega. It’s nothing too fancy, but it’s been our home for the past month.”

It looks exactly like the town Core had found you in. Actually, thinking about it, this entire place seems to be based off of the original design except bigger and filled with more people.

…Hmm. You’re starting to get the idea of how Narrator structured this run. 

Despite your suspicions, you have a fun time exploring the area. Ink, for all his carelessness in other things, is surprisingly thorough when it comes to experiencing an AU he’s unfamiliar with. He ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ over the variety of buildings and houses. He leads you through Farmer’s Markets, Bake Sales, and – his favorite – Outside Art Exhibitions.

Core and TK are understandably wary of Ink even as they let him freely explore the place. He’s completely oblivious to the careful and distant way they treat him. You realize that Ink might not remember what he did at all. His memory isn’t the best and he was completely off his paints when it all happened, so it isn’t too much of a stretch.

“Yeah, he tends to do that. But what do you expect? That guy’s memory is like a goldfish.” TK shrugs when you bring it up to him. At the moment, all of you are at an arcade. He’s currently beating you soundly on a racecar game. You’re glad that he’s willing to relax and spend time with you despite his concerns about Ink. He glances at you. “If you’re worried about Core and me, don’t be. We can handle Ink _and_ protect New Omega just fine.” He sees your expression. “Aw, Blank, I know that look. Don’t bother. Having Ink genuinely be sorry about something he did is a waste of time. We’re used to it. Ink is Ink, after all.”

But to forget everything so easily…even after what he’s done…it makes you feel conflicted. You place a hand over your chest. The soul thrums in response to your touch.

“Ink, when should we leave? This is fun, but I think we should start to –

You look up to see that Ink is nowhere to be seen. There’s only a rueful TK, who tells you that Ink went off to look for some sweet things on his own. “Don’t worry. Core has their eye on him. We can hang out even longer while we wait for him,” he suggests.

Walking around with TK is a more relaxed experience. He leads you around his favorite places. You stop in mid-conversation when something catches your eye.

**(Sitting right at the window inside a quaint, little coffee shop, you see Geno. His glitches are gone. His eye looks a little melted, but he looks healthy, fine and whole. He’s laughing with friends. He looks happy.)**

“Yeah,” TK confirms when he follows your line of sight, oddly hushed, “that’s Geno, all right. He must be taking a break from his patrols. The other two skeletons are Thorn and Dual. They’re nice.”

You stare at Geno for a second longer before looking away. You start walking again, much to TK’s confusion. The little skeleton trails after you for a few more blocks before he speaks up again.

“…Aren’t you going to talk to him?”

A beat.

“No. It’s better if I don’t.”

Geno is happy at this moment. You re-introducing yourself into his life will just make things complicated. And much more difficult when you have to...it’s good enough that you saw him.

With TK and Core’s help, you find your way over to where Ink is. You catch him just as he walks out of a restaurant with a bag full of tacos. He must’ve been sidetracked from his search for something sweet. You don’t care. “Let’s go. We already wasted so much time here. We need to move on, Ink.”

“Not before I go find the sweets I’m craving for!” Ink chirps cheekily.

You grit your teeth.

“I want to go.”

“Nope! Sweets first!”

_“Ink –_

But Ink’s gone again. You feel like screaming. TK wisely keeps his distance when you walk away to calm yourself down. You know that it isn’t Ink you’re truly upset with, but you’re not ready to face what’s really the issue. You thought you were fine, but…you’re not. You’re really not.

So entrenched in your own thoughts, you accidentally run into someone, snapping you out of your thoughts. An apology flies out of your mouth in an instant before it hits you just who you bumped into.

A very young Papyrus looks up at you, not at all upset by your mistake. “OH!” he squeaks “EXCUSE ME, HUMAN! I WAS NOT LOOKING WHERE I WAS GOING EITHER!” Then, he gasps and points at you. “YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO SAVED US IN THE LAB! FRIEND BLANK! BROTHER, LOOK! IT’S OUR HERO!”

“they sure are.” His brother appears at your side in a blink.

The brothers look worlds away from the two little experiments you found in Dr. Gaster’s lab. Papyrus thanks you profusely for saving them. He tells you all about the kind Toriel who took them in and the many friends he made in school. Unfortunately, he and his brother have places to go, so the time to part ways come too soon. The sweet child gives you a big hug. “YOU WERE CORRECT, FRIEND BLANK,” Papyrus tells you solemnly before giving you a dazzling smile, “I AM VERY GREAT! AND I HOPE TO GROW UP TO BE GREAT AS YOU!”

**(Hearing those words stirs something in your chest. You want to prove Papyrus right. Any stress and fear that you have seem to fall away. You are filled with Determination.)**

Papyrus rushes away, handmade scarf trailing behind him. The young Sans, on the other hand, lingers. “hey…i didn’t get to say this before…but thanks. for saving us.” He smiles at you sincerely. “you really changed our life for the better with what you did. i know just saying that isn’t much compared to what you did for us but –”

“No.” You shake your head. “It means everything. Both of you leading happy lives, that’s more than enough for me. Seeing you both reminded me of that. Thank you.”

“i, uh, you're welcome? i guess?” Confused, Little Sans says his goodbyes to you before walking off to catch up with his brother.

“Gosh, Blank. Every time I turn around, there’s a new person you helped out.” You turn to see a grinning TK with a confused Ink at his side. The younger skeleton not-so-subtly jabs the artist in the side. _“Apologize.”_ He hisses under his breath.

“I’m sorry,” Ink automatically says, completely unrepentant. He wanders closer to you and holds out a small, plastic bag filled with caramel-covered apple slices. “I found a great sweets shop and I got you this! It’s really yummy!”

TK sighs. “That’s the best we can ever hope for with this guy.” He glances at you. “You okay, Blank?”

“Yeah. I’m feeling a lot better.”

“Good. I’m going to go on ahead to help Core set up for your departure. Since we can’t leave, two guards on the other side will help you both through the next area.” TK shoots a warning look at Ink. “Behave and stick with Blank. Don’t give them a harder time than you already did.”

With a flash of magic, TK is gone. You and Ink are left to walk over to the edge of town on your own. You open up the bag of sweets and take out an apple slice. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Ink is right. It’s really yummy.

“You kept waiting for me in the town even though you wanted to go.”

You pause at Ink’s statement. The artist is watching you intently. Something seems to be right out of his grasp and he’s struggling to understand. You wait patiently for him to put together the right words to communicate what he doesn’t comprehend about your actions.

“Doesn’t it get annoying getting held back by me? Other people find it annoying and just move on. Why didn’t you? Didn’t you want to go?”

“It’s hard to wait,” you admit, “and sometimes, it doesn’t reward you with anything. Sometimes, it takes forever. But sometimes,” you take a bite out of the caramel apple slice, “it’s worth it. That’s why I do it. It’s how I show that I care.”

“You must care a lot then,” Ink says. You nod. “A lot of people care a lot about you too.”

“Yeah,” you smile softly to yourself, “they do.”

Your body gives a jerk when you feel another barrier around your soul shatter. It’s the cyan tinted one this time. Ink doesn’t celebrate like you expected him to. Instead, he looks at you with an expression that you can’t quite describe.

“No,” Ink corrects himself, “they don’t just care, they love you. Did you know TK punched me for making you upset?”

You don’t know what to say to that.

“I wish…” Ink trails off and shakes his head. “No, that doesn’t matter right now. We need to move on, right? I can talk about it later. You waited for me, so I can try to do the same too.” He scribbles down a note on his scarf. “Okay. Let’s go.”

When you and Ink reach the other end of town, you’re surprised to see TK and Core standing right in front of an _Outertale_ -esque warp pad instead of a path leading away from the town like it was from Snowdin to Waterfall. Seeing your confusion, Core explains that the next area is too far to travel by foot.

“Honestly, so are the others,” TK interjects, “so it’s going to be pretty dangerous from here on out. Core and I might be more lenient with our territory, but the others might put up a bit of a fight with Ink over there.” He opens up his arms entreatingly for a hug. "I’m sad that you’re leaving so soon, but something tells me that you have something important to do. Don’t worry. I’m on your side no matter what it is, Blank.”

You kneel down and wrap your arms around the little skeleton with so much on his shoulders. He buries his face into the crook of your neck. “You are my best friend, TK. Thank you for helping me. And thank you for showing me so many wonderful things.”

After a long moment, you separate from him and turn to Core. “We’re ready, Frisk. Thanks for having us here.”

“Not a problem. It was nice seeing you again.” Their Void-filled eyes blink back at you knowingly. “Goodbye, Blank.”

“Goodbye, Frisk.”

You and Ink step onto the pad. Everything brightens before your surroundings melt away.

* * *

“Isn’t this so exciting, Blank?”

“Ink, focus. We might _die_.”

“I bet’cha didn’t see _this_ coming when we first came here, huh? I love it when appearances end up being deceiving. What about you, pal?”

_“Stop talking and RUN!”_

When you and Ink reached your next location, you were blown away by the sight in front of you. A beautiful, night sky reminiscent to the one you saw in _Outertale_ stretched out above you. Surrounding you was a calm, body of water that went out for miles. The stars reflected its surface and reminded you of Starfall Planet. A single path cut through all of it, leading up to an island where you saw the beginnings of a forest.

For once, Ink wasn’t running about. Instead, he lingered with you to take in the view. He’s just as blown away from the sight as you were, which was comforting since it told you that, no matter how much of a destructive force Ink is, he still appreciates the beauty of things.

Ink’s quiet and calmness did not last forever. A beautiful sight could only catch the artist’s attention for so long, especially when he was without his sketchbook (according to him.) Ink then decided it was a great idea to go out exploring this new place instead of waiting for the guards who were supposed to guide you through this area.

You insisted on waiting. Ink went ahead anyways and took you with him.

The walk on the path was peaceful enough aside from the constant stream of chatter that Ink filled it with. It was when the both of you hit the forest area things started to get a little…weird. The sounds of wildlife you had expected was eerily absent and you swore you saw something shift in the shadows. No matter how many times you told Ink about it, he just laughed your concerns off. 

Your caution bore fruit when something sharp and bright flew from the shadows and embedded itself onto a trunk near Ink’s face. That’s when both of you started running.

Which brings you to the present. You’re being chased through the unknown forest and it’s all Ink’s fault. The troublemaker himself is giggling up a storm while he nimbly avoids every blade. Meanwhile, you’re trying to save your breath and avoid getting cut up by whatever is chasing you.

**(The wind howls at your ear as you run. Your chest and legs are burning, but you can’t stop just yet. You still aren’t out of the woods and there are creatures in the shadows. You are filled with Determination to make it out of the forest alive.)**

You see Ink narrowly avoid getting hit by an axe by using a tree for cover – wait, an _axe?_

You stop running. Two bodies nearly slam into you when you do. They’re still in the dark, but you would recognize these skeletons from anywhere.

“Horror? Dust?” As if summoned by your guesses, the two steps out into the moonlight with sheepish expressions. Something clicks in your head. “Wait, the guards who were supposed to guide us through this area. They’re you?”

“Guilty as charged,” Dust admits.

“Sorry for scaring you, Blank,” Horror apologizes genuinely before his expression shifts into a deadly glare as his single, red eye focuses onto something behind you. “We were gunning for _him.”_

Ink waves. “Heya, pals! Is the chasing section of this game over already? That’s strange. You guys usually only stop when you either lose or you kill someone. You still do that, right? Kill people?”

Dust makes a hissing noise through his teeth. Horror cracks his knuckles and takes a threatening step towards the artist.

You throw yourself between them. “Wait, _wait!_ **Stop!** Don’t kill him! He’s with me! He’s with me!” You give them both a pleading look. “Please, let’s not fight?”

At one look at your pleading expression, the two relent.

“Fine, _fine_ ,” Dust sighs. His offensive magic flickers out. Horror reluctantly puts away his axe. “Dinner will get cold anyways.”

“Dinner?” Ink asks, curiosity piqued. “You have something set up back at your place? Oooh, what is it?”

Horror shoots Ink a dirty look. “For Blank, not for you.”

With Horror and Dust, getting through the forest is much easier. At the center of it, stands Nightmare’s castle. It doesn’t look as foreboding under the moonlight and stars. The aura around the area feels lighter too. Inside, you’re surprised to see that the dining table is moved over near the entrance. You see Killer setting up the table and sitting at the head of it is –

“Awwww, Nightmare without his goop!” Ink coos, pointing at the glaring Nightmare. Secretly, you think that the scary effect is ruined by the lack of goop and tentacles. Ink certainly doesn’t seem fazed by it. “When did that happen?”

“Ink. Don’t point. That’s rude.”

“It’s because of you, isn’t it? I’m noticing a pattern between interesting things and you.”

“Let’s sit down,” you sigh as you take your own seat, “and no, it wasn’t because of me. Thank you for having us, Nightmare. Dinner looks delicious.” You share a smile with Killer as he enthusiastically snags the chair beside you. “How did you know we were coming?”

“Officially? The Void Child and the Time Brat contacted me through Horror and Dust,” Nightmare looks at you almost curiously. “Unofficially, the knowledge that you would come was already in my head the moment I woke up here in this facsimile of an AU. Dream did too. Care to explain why?”

Ink perks up and swallows his mouthful of food to speak. “Oh, that? That’s because you and Dream are super-sensitive to what the game is adding into your own codes. Others would usually not question it. TK and Core were pretty oblivious. It was pretty funny seeing it.”

Nightmare stares at Ink. “…Game?”

**(The cat’s out of the bag. Better to explain the entire thing instead of having them come to their own conclusions. Or worse, leaving it all to Ink.)**

Ah. So even Narrator agrees that leaving everything to Ink is a terrible idea.

You quickly take over the explanation. You tell the entire table about how everyone was lost to the Void and that only Ink and you were left on a single, incomplete AU. You talk about the deal you made with a mysterious Creator so you could bring the Multiverse back from its original destruction. Only by playing and completing the game would the safety of the Multiverse be ensured.

Ink blinks at the last part. “Wait, what? The safety of the Multiverse? Why is that a concern? Did something happen to it?” Genuine alarm and concern cross his face at the idea of it, cementing your suspicions that he had forgotten.

“Is he being _serious_ right now?” You hear Dust scoff in the background.

“And once again, the fate of this Multiverse is on your shoulders,” Nightmare sighs. “Didn’t you fail last time? What makes you think that you’ll be successful this time?”

“I don’t think,” you say conviction, “I _know_. I will make sure that everyone is safe. I just need to move forward. No matter what.”

Nightmare tilts his head. “What if you give up? Change your mind?” His stare seems to pierce into your soul as he looks at you searchingly. “What then?”

“Do you even _know_ Blank?” Everyone turns to the artist at his interruption. For once, he’s not smiling or amused. “I barely spent a day with them and even _I_ know that they’re not the sort to give up after taking up a mission or breaking a promise. I don’t understand it myself, but they never give up. They didn’t when they saved all those AUs. They won’t when it comes to this.”

**(Moved by Ink’s words, you are filled with –)**

An unexpected shock goes through your body, making you bend over and cough into your hand. You withdraw it to find a small pile of purple shards gathered on your palm. A barrier over the soul just shattered again. You feel someone Check you and you wave them away. “I’m fine,” you clear your throat, “I’m fine. It’s normal. I was just surprised this time.”

Ink launches himself over the table and in front of you. There are stars in his eyes as he looks you over. “It happened again, didn’t it?” At your nod, he beams proudly. “It was something I said, right? Another barrier broken! Three more left and I win the game!” He looks so excited that he looks as if he might burst. “Three more left, and I get to have my own soul!”

In a blink, Ink is thrown far, _far_ away from you by a familiar tentacle. You look up with a dawning horror as Nightmare, back in his corrupted state, grabs the downed Ink and shoves him against the wall.

“I think you are under a severe misconception, _artist_ ,” he hisses lowly. “No matter how many of these barriers you manage to shatter, no matter what terms you succeed in fulfilling during this _game,_ that soul will never be yours. It belongs to _Blank_ , who has used it far better than I believe you ever will.”

By this point, you’re struggling against Killer’s hold as he and the others keep you away from the scuffle. You try to shout for Ink, but someone covers your mouth. They tell you not to interrupt. They assure you that you’re going to be okay. But you won’t be.

Ink tries in vain to reach for his brush. It rolls just out of his reach as Nightmare slams him against the wall again.

“Now, I think you have overstayed your welcome. I’ll be sending you over to my brother. You remember Dream, don’t you? I believe both of you are in for an overdue _talk._ ”

“Blank’s…coming…with me…”

“People cannot leave or stay in my realm without my express permission. You cannot stay, Blank cannot go.” Nightmare’s expression turns absolutely vicious. “My house, my food, my rules.”

With a snap of Nightmare’s fingers, Ink is gone.

Finally, Killer releases you. Dust maneuvers you back to your seat and Horror pushes a plate over to you. “Eat your dinner before it gets cold,” he tells you softly. In any other day, you would’ve complied with Horror’s request, but not today. You shake your head. You can’t eat right now. You need to know what happened to Ink.

You stand up and walk over to Nightmare. “Where did you send Ink?” you demand. By some miracle, Nightmare doesn’t stab you for your insolence.

“As I said, with Dream. My brother’s Star Council will know what to do with him. Probably throw him into some prison.” Nightmare scoffs. “Merciful fools. Of course, you will be staying with us until they officially decide what to do with him.” His voice softens when he sees you visibly flinch. “Do not worry. You will be treated well here. It won’t be like the last time. I give you my word.”

You shake your head. “I can’t. It’s not that I don’t believe you. I just don’t have enough time to stay. I told you, in order to make sure everyone is safe, I need to play the game until the end. And I can’t do that being stuck right here. And I can’t do that without Ink. I need to go to him.”

“I can’t let you do that.” Nightmare tells you again, now getting visibly frustrated. “As I said before, my house, my food, my rules. You won’t be able to leave without my permission after eating under my roof.”

Frustrated, you turn away from him. You nearly trip over Ink’s paintbrush while doing so. You nearly kick it away before you remember two, important facts.

One, you are a Creator, so you can use Ink’s brush.

Two, you haven’t had the chance to touch a single food on your plate ever since you sat down.

It takes seconds for you to scoop up the brush and start running. You make for the grand doors leading out of the castle. You can hear the others rushing after you. You don’t stop. You _can’t_ stop. Not now.

**(You are Determined to reunite with Ink. It’s the only way.)**

With that **Determination** , you will the portal into existence. _To the Star Council_ , you think desperately. You hope that this works. Narrator, please, let this work. You yelp when you feel three sets of hands grab onto you. In your desperation, you throw yourself forward, bringing Horror, Dust, and Killer along with you.

All four of you fall through the portal and onto the floor. With a pained groan, you rub your head and look up.

A shocked Epic stares back at you. The burrito he’d been eating falls from his hands and onto the floor with a pathetic splat.

_“Bruh.”_

* * *

Upon hearing about your arrival, Cross comes over from wherever he was to see you. Much to your displeasure, Killer immediately tattles on you. “Blank wants to go to Ink in some misguided attempt to redeem him even though the asshole _still_ wants to take their soul.”

“No way,” Cross shuts you down immediately before you can get a word in edgewise. “Ink’s currently being held in a cell before the Star Council decides what to do with him. He’s a criminal, Blank. I won’t let you close to him.”

Great. You’re stuck with not just three, but _four_ highly trained babysitters, who are adamant on not letting you out of their sight. Ink’s brush is confiscated, and you’re left to pout and fume in a corner.

“Aw, Blank, don’t be like that. You know we’re only doing this to protect you,” Killer wheedles, trying to get you to look at him. Since he’s the main reason why you’re unable to get to Ink, you turn away from him and pretend that he isn’t there.

“They’re at their rebellious stage,” you hear Dust whisper. “Just let them have their space. Teenagers need their space when they’re upset, right?”

They conveniently overlook the fact that you’ve grown once again after falling through the portal. You have the body of a proper adult, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the change did not extend to your own clothes, making you a little uncomfortable with how tightly they fit.

“…are you sure? You don’t need help?” You hear Cross ask behind you. With a quick glance, you see that he’s on the phone. “That isn’t what I…all right. I’ll show Blank around. Call me if you need anything.”

“What did Dream want? Is it about Ink?” Horror asks after Cross gets off the phone. Before you can perk up, the ex-Royal Guardsman shakes his head, crushing your hopes all over again. “No, he just wanted to send his regrets for not being able to say hi to Blank face-to-face. He’s a little busy with Star Council stuff. TK, Core, and Nightmare are there with him.”

Dust whistles. “Even Nightmare? No wonder why he didn’t follow right after us.”

Meanwhile, Cross looks your over critically. “Your clothes are too small on you, Blank. Why don’t we go out and buy some new ones? I can even show you around the area.”

“This is the best idea you’ve ever had, Criss-Cross! I take back all the times I called you a strait-laced prude.” (“Wait, you called me a _what?”_ ) Killer dramatically points to a random direction while strongarming you to his side. “To the mall!”

If you thought New Omega was impressive, the splendor of the Star Council Building and the city surrounding it is even more impressive. Unironically, they call the area ‘The Capital’. On your way to the Capital’s shopping center, you learn that this place serves as an official means for cross-AU travel and management. It’s still in its early stages since the Multiverse is still on its way of making its recovery, but by the time AUs return, the plan is to provide a structural system that allows autonomy to all AUs who are aware of the Multiverse. It’s not going to be perfect and not everyone will be happy, but many have hope for this new approach.

Of course, being the center of all travel, the Capital offers many eye-catching attractions. One of its main ones is their gigantic shopping mall. After a quick stop to pick out clothes that fit you, you’re quickly swept away to enjoy the rest of what the place offers. You can tell that all of them are desperately making up for lost time and making every moment of this outing count. Selfishly, you let them.

Horror and Dust separate from the group to go save a seat at the food court. You, Killer, and Cross continue to window shop in the meantime. Something catches your eye through one of the windows and, with a jolt, you _know_ that you need to buy it. You interrupt a conversation between Killer and Cross when you make a beeline to the set of clothes that caught your attention.

Killer guffaws when he sees which store you chose to go into. “I never thought you’d be the sort to like anime! Do you even know any series outside of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?”

“Don’t tease them. They can like what they like,” Cross scolds him reprovingly. He’s already taking out his wallet. “I’ll even buy it _for_ them. Then maybe they’ll think twice about who their favorite is.”

Killer’s laughter cuts off. “Hey now, I didn’t mean it like _that._ Move over, Crossy. _I’ll_ pay for that thing.”

“Nope. You laughed at them. Your buying gifts for Blank privileges are revoked.”

While the two squabble in the background, you take the clothes over to the register. “Can I have it wrapped?” You ask the cashier quietly while handing over the required amount of G. You’re grateful that Narrator equipped you with the perfect amount to be able to make this purchase on your own.

“Oh my god,” you heard a monster gasp, gaining your attention. You follow their line of sight to the TV playing at the waiting area of the store. The anime show that had been playing is now replaced with a news station.

Except, it’s no new anchor on the screen. It’s Ink, out of whatever prison he’d been contained in and on the loose. He’s wielding two handful of small brushes and facing off against Dream.

Immediately, you go over to Cross and Killer. They’re still arguing, so you don’t feel bad at all for interrupting them.

“Cross, did Dream tell you to keep me away from the tower because Ink escaped? I won’t be angry,” you promise, “just tell me.”

“What are you talking about –

“Dream and Ink are fighting on live television. Try again.”

Cross drops all pretenses and scrambles over to the TV. “Dammit, Dream _told_ me he’d call me if he needed backup!”

“I dunno, Cross, Dreamcatcher seems to have everything covered,” Killer comments dryly as Dream unleashes a barrage of arrows at Ink. Ink manages to parry them with his brushes. “Oh wait, he’s saying something. Hey, anyone with the remote, turn up the volume!”

“ –know how much we could’ve lost?” You hear Dream say after the volume is turned up. Tears begin to bead at the edges of his eyes. “You turned your back on _everything_ you claimed you protected! I can’t believe you lied to **me**! Your teammate! Then, you tear down my own AU as if it’s nothing! And for what? _Entertainment?_ ” Ink says something that the camera doesn’t quite catch. Whatever it was, it made Dream throw himself at the artist with an enraged shout. He tackles him onto the ground. The fall knocks away both of their weapons, but Dream doesn’t care. He uses his fists instead. “You! Are! A terrible! Friend!” He punctuates every word with a hard punch that even has you wincing along with the rest of the spectators.

“Woo! Go Dream! Mess him up!” Killer eggs the Guardian on.

Cross, on the other hand, looks worried. He watches the screen intensely as if he’s expecting something bad to happen despite Dream having the upper hand. “Where is everyone else? Nightmare should at least be there to prevent – _oh no._ ”

Oh no? You really don’t like the sound of that.

Dream’s eyelights begin to glow. What originally were yellow eyelights turn into a bright orange that makes your eyes sting. His magic lights up his bones in a way that looks as if there is magma flowing through his marrow. You watch as Dream’s back begins to bulge and contort under his clothes. A pair of wings tears through the fabric, making the Guardian look more menacing compared to his pinned opponent.

And yet, Dream is no longer punching Ink. He sits back, completely placid. His previous anger and grief are completely wiped away, leaving behind a surreal contentment that looks completely out of place with the situation.

“Hey, what’s taking you guys so long? Horror and I have been waiting for – _holy shit._ ” Dust scampers over to the TV when he catches sight of Dream. Horror follows behind him in a more sedate pace, though no less interested on what’s happening. “Dream must be _super_ upset if he’s losing control of his powers like this.”

You turn to Cross. “This isn’t a good thing.”

“…No. It isn’t.”

Dream raises a hand and summons an intimidating spear. The spearhead on it looks familiar.

“That doesn’t look good either,” you say with steadily rising anxiety. Killer is no longer laughing and cheering. Cross shakes his head, looking just as anxious. _“No it **isn’t**.”_

**(You are Determined to get to Ink and Dream. You are Determined to stop them.)**

“Cross, give me Ink’s brush. I can bring all of us over there.” You hold your hand out. _“Now.”_

Cross hands the brush over. You quickly start to draw out a haphazard circle around yourself and your friends. Then, you close your eyes and concentrate on the appearance of the room and imagine all of you being there. The floor underneath you shines in response.

“…Oh wait, Nightmare just came in. It’s okay, Blank. The situation is under contro _aaaaagh!”_

All of you fall through the portal and into the Star Council meeting room. You, Killer, Dust, and Horror nimbly land on your feet. Cross lands on his face with a miserable groan.

Nightmare, still in his corrupted form, is beside his brother. Both of them stand as a united front despite their conflicting auras. Ink is barely managing to stay on his feet. He brightens up considerably at the sight of you. “Blank! You’re here! Oh, and you brought Broomy too!”

Broomy?

**(The giant brush.)**

Oh.

“Blank, stay back,” Nightmare orders you curtly as his tentacles lash behind him in visible agitation. “It’s not safe. The artist is still under the impression that you’re willingly going to just hand over your soul.”

“Not without finishing the game!” Ink corrects him with a scowl. “I’m not a cheater. I know the rules. I finish the game the right way to earn my reward. _The soul is the prize for finishing it._ That was what Blank told me.”

Dream begins to laugh. You’re surprised to hear a condescending edge to it. Dream flaps his wings once, twice before they settle again as he gathers himself. With a closer look, you can see that his wings are made of _leaves_ and _branches_ not feathers and bone.

“Oh, Ink. You always overlooked the details. You poor thing.”

Nightmare smirks. “What my brother means is that you’re a fool who overlooked a very important fact.” He leans in, relishing the growing confusion and insecurity on Ink’s face. “Yes, the soul is the prize, but did Blank ever clarify _who_ would be winning it? It’s a stroke of genius, really. Blank has always had a penchant for finding loopholes. After all, what better way to win a game than to rig it against your enemy?”

Ink looks gutted. You decide that enough is enough. You shoulder your way through the twins and make your way over to him. “Ink –

“Blank, is what they’re saying true?” You stop. “Did you trick me?”

Your answer catches on your throat at the sheer vulnerability and emotional rawness on Ink’s face. This feels too real, too complex to merely be artificial emotion. Ink is actually… **(feeling.)**

Unfortunately, Ink takes your surprised silence as confirmation. His eyelights turn red.

“Readers have thousands of other stories, but I only have _one_ soul! Why can’t you let me have this? Do you want that happy ending _that_ much?” His cries angry tears as his eyelights shift from an angry red to a stricken blue. “You never meant for me to have my soul back, did you?” He sobs. “Blank, you _liar._ ”

He snatches Broomy away from your grip and kicks you away. You wince at both the impact and the harsh shattering of the barrier around your soul. After hacking up the yellow shards, you look up to see only a puddle of paint.

**(Ink ran away.)**

“I…That’s not what I meant. Ink, that’s not what I meant,” you call out helplessly. It happened so quickly. You didn’t mean it like that. “Ink, come back. _Ink.”_

“What do you _mean_ , that’s not what you meant?” Nightmare is suddenly in front of you, clutching at your shoulders. “Don’t tell me you are actually considering sacrificing yourself for _Ink_ of all monsters.”

You shake your head. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what do you –

“I’m dying.”

The words come out of your mouth before you can even think. And after you say it, you realize you can’t take it back. You can’t ignore or deny the truth any longer.

“I’m dying.”

* * *

In their panic, Nightmare and Dream takes everyone back into their castle. Nightmare loses his roots and Dream loses his branches as they transform back to themselves as the new danger cannot be handled by their more aggressive forms. A trail of leaves and tree sap is made from the entrance to the library as the twins scramble to find a book to solve the unsolvable problem and cure the uncurable.

When they can’t find an answer, they begin to rage. They’re angry, they’re upset. How could the universe do this to you? It’s not fair. It’s Ink’s fault. How could he? How could you? (Don’t go.)

The others are surprisingly less frantic and desperate. They don’t try to find impossible answers. They channel more of their energy in taking care of you in their own way. Horror brings plate after plate of your favorite foods without fail. Dust barely lets you out of his arms as he holds you close. Killer tells you stories and fills you in on every single thing you missed and even more. Cross stands guard at your side the entire time as if he could drive Death away when he comes.

“We’re used to having loved ones dying from something beyond our own power. They’re not,” Killer tells you when you ask them why it’s so harder for Nightmare and Dream compared to them. “We don’t want you to go either, but we know when to cherish the moments we have left when we’re allowed to.”

Eventually, the twins’ anger simmers into sorrow and depression. Dream could barely look at you without bursting into tears. Nightmare bitterly asks you why this game was even necessary if your ‘death’ was inevitable. Did you really want to save them that much?

“I wanted to save all of you, yes. But more than that, I wanted to say goodbye.”

The twins can’t say anything more to that.

* * *

They let you go.

It’s slow and difficult and full of so much tears and pain, but they all let you go in the end.

Nightmare and Dream both send you away with a transportation spell with promises that it will take you as close to Ink as it possibly can. It takes you to a temple full of bustling deities hard at work. The temple has so many hallways and doors that you don’t know where to start first. Some of the less busy ones stop to greet you and offer you answers to your many questions. One minor god who works under Knowledge does you the greatest favor in simply dumping the floor plans of this place into your head. 

Your search leads you to the Hall of Memories. You find Ink in one of its many rooms. It’s the room devoted to the Multiverse Apocalypse. The final battle at _Aftertale_ and the fall of the Omega Timeline is playing around you and you see Ink in the middle of it all, curled up into a pathetic ball. You stop the memory and put it away, leaving the room dark and silent.

“Ink?” You call out hesitantly. The artist doesn’t respond to your call, so you go over and sit beside him. “Ink?”

“…I did that.” His voice sounds so weak and defeated. He lifts his head from his legs and turns to you with blue and grey in his formless eyelights. “What good am I if I can’t even be a Protector? Without AUs…without the Creators, I…” his eyelights blow out “I’m nothing. Just a soulless monster who’s better off forgotten.”

“You’re not soulless. You have a soul, don’t you?” You press your hand over your chest to prove your point. “You’re just disconnected from it, that’s all.”

Ink scoffs and turns away from you. “That’s not mine. It’s yours now. Nightmare is right. I don’t deserve that soul.”

“Nightmare said that to hurt you.”

“No, Nightmare said that to protect you,” Ink corrects you with surprising awareness. “It’s just like that time when TK punched me for making you upset. Despite being the embodiment of negativity, he loves you. They all do.”

Ink fiddles with his scarf.

“I’ve always wondered what it felt like. Love. No matter how many mixtures of paint I put together, I could never replicate it. It’s funny, isn’t it? The one, single emotion that comes so easily with monsters is impossible for something like me.” He turns to you with a bitter smile. “If I’m capable of it, I’d be jealous of you, Blank. I’ve never experienced anyone loving me as much as everyone loves you. I don’t think anyone ever has. I mean, who would? I’m soulless.”

“Someone _does_ love you, Ink.” Enough to send the Multiverse into chaos. Enough to create such an intricate and beautiful AU out of the husk of his own, abandoned one.

Ink scoffs. “Yeah right.”

You want to tell him everything. You want to tell him about Narrator. About _________tale. About how you came to be. But that would mean revealing so much that you could ruin the entire run. Even now, you can feel Narrator’s presence buzzing warningly for you to keep your silence.

So, you take out something from your inventory instead. You hold out the shopping bag, surprising Ink.

“This is for me?”

“Yeah, I got it at the Capital Shopping Center. I knew that it was meant to be yours the moment I saw it. Here.” You push the bag into his arms encouragingly. “Open it.”

Ink’s expression turns into wonder when he sees what’s inside. You turn away as he tears off the tags and hastily shucks off his ruined clothes to put on the new ones. When he’s done, you take a look and smile at what you see.

“I knew it was perfect for you,” you tell Ink as he tests out his new clothes. You think he looks much better barefoot. “Do you like it?” Ink nods, looking a little more like himself as he twists and twirls in his new outfit. “Good. I’m happy you like it.”

Ink picks up Broomy and takes you by the hand. “Thanks. I feel a lot better now.” He takes a shaky breath. “Let’s go finish that game. I said I would so I won’t back out now.”

This temple has an endless number of doors to an endless number of AUs. Any of them can be where you need to go. If you were any other person, this puzzle Narrator set up would have been impossible to solve even with the map in your head.

But you are Blank, and this game is modeled after your own journey.

It takes a bit of walking, but you and Ink finally make it to the area where the door to _Aftertale_ should be. To your surprise, the door is located in a room that resembles Life’s Garden. You and Ink pick your way through the overgrowth and finally reach the door.

Only to find Death the Elder standing guard in front of it.

“Blank. You are not allowed to go through here. Especially with him. Turn back. Don’t make me do this,” Reaper warns you, drawing out his scythe to make his point.

You turn to Ink. “Do you trust me?”

“All right. I’ll trust you.” Ink says. “What do you want me to do?”

You take his hand, “We go forwards.”

**(You are so close to the end now to turn back. You are filled with Determination.)**

It’s hard to walk to death knowing that he’ll come. You feel Ink’s bones tremble as you both draw closer to the deity. With regret and resignation, Reaper swings his scythe. To your surprise, Ink shoves himself between you and Death. You feel the barrier around your soul shatter, and you choke back the orange shards. You wonder if your soul is next.

But the scythe never reaches its target. It’s stilled by a firm hand.

“Not here, Reaper. Let them through.”

“Geno, you can’t possibly think this is a good idea,” Reaper argues with his counterpart as he tries to tug his weapon away to take another swing. “If you let Blank cross over, you’ll lose them forever. If I reap them here, you’ll see at least them again in the Underworld.”

“I think I’ve made enough decisions for Blank. It’s not like any of them did us any good,” Geno says with a rueful smile. “Blank has made their choice. The best I can do is support their decision.”

You wish with all of your existence that you can go over and hug Geno for the last time. But he’s barely holding back Death and he’s urging you to go. “I love you Geno.”

You hear him choke back a sob as you cross through the door with Ink. “I love you too, Blank. I love you too.”

* * *

The Judgement Hall is still as beautiful and solemn as you remember it.

When Ink catches sight of Error, you see the surprised joy and overwhelming guilt warring through him as he hesitates to approach the other skeleton. “Error, I…”

“I told you to drink your damn paints, you idiot,” Error snaps, saving Ink from another few minutes of struggling to find the right words to say. There isn’t any true animosity behind it. Ink laughs weakly in response. “I learned my lesson. I’ll listen to you next time.”

“Damn right you will,” Error sniffs. “And you owe me a lifetime’s worth of chocolate too.”

You watch with a smile as Error slowly draws Ink out of his insecure shell with bantering with him. He manages to make Ink laugh and shoot back at him with a quip of his own. You’d be content with seeing them interact like this forever. But you don’t have that. You see how the light streaming through the stained class windows is beginning to dim. You’re going to need to hurry this along.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we’re on limited time.” You tilt your head at Error’s direction. “Let us through, Error. We have places to go.”

“Not without being judged, you can’t.” Error takes out a piece of paper and puts on his glasses. He shoots Ink a dirty look when he stares. “What? That Narrator asshole writes too small for me to read the script.”

**(You’re just too blind to read words properly, you destroying lunatic.)**

“Shaddap.”

**(Just get on with it already.)**

Error clears his throat. “So you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will make a choice. Together, you will determine the future of this world. That’s then. Now, you will be judged.” Ink stiffens. “You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for you _blah, blah, blah._ ” Error tears the piece of paper into shreds and pockets his glasses. “This recycled crap won’t do anything. Let’s get to the point. Who’s going to get that soul?”

“Blank can keep it,” Ink answers immediately, surprising you.

“You destroyed multiple AUs for that thing,” Error says flatly. “And now you’re saying that you don’t want it?”

Ink shakes his head. “I’ve decided that I don’t need it anymore. Blank, on the other hand, needs a soul to live. So that’s why, they can have it. Don’t worry, I’ll drink my paints. I’ll be fine.”

Ink freezes when he hears you cough. He slowly turns his head and stares in terror at the sight of the green shards tumbling out between your fingers.

**(You showed the desire to understand the Integrity in Blank’s actions after witnessing their past. You practiced Patience after taking TK’s lesson to heart. You acknowledged Blank’s Perseverance when faced with Nightmare. You reacted to the inJustice of your position after your battle with Dream. You Bravely risked Death to protect your friend. You have shown that you are capable of Kindness by giving up your soul. You have shown empathy. You have shown that you are capable of becoming a better person. I am proud of you, Ink.)**

**(Congratulations! You WON! You gained 1 Soul!)**

You relay Narrator’s message to Ink.

“It’s yours.”

“Well, I don’t want it,” Ink insists stubbornly. “You’ll just have to keep it for me, Blank.”

Your smile strains. “Ink, I can’t. No matter how small the fragment is, a part of me is still a Reader. And Readers can’t read the same story forever, just as an author can’t write forever. You were right. I was created to be thrown away. A soul would be wasted on me.”

Ink’s eyelights dilate in horror. He shakes his head in denial. “No. _No._ I take it back. I take it all back. You’re not disposable. You’re _not._ They can’t just let you die. That’s unfair! You’re the main character!”

“No,” you correct Ink patiently, “I’m not. I’m just a messenger delivering an important gift.”

“If you can’t have it, then I won’t take it either!”

“The Multiverse depends on it, dumbass.” Error finally speaks up. “Because of your screwup, it all depends on that little soul. If Blank stops working with that soul still in them, we all go too. This is why they went through all this trouble. Well? Are you going to accept that gift?”

Ink’s grip tightens on Broomy. “Not here. Not yet.”

“Well,” you admit, “there is one last thing I still want to do before I go.”

Error snaps his fingers and a portal appears, leading out to the top of Mt. Ebott. He flushes at your happy surprise. “Narrator told me. It was one of your requests. It’s the least I can do.” You see pain flash across his eyelights. “It’s the only thing I can do.” He cups your cheek with a glitching hand. You lean into his touch and do your best not to cry.

Error retracts his hand and gives you and Ink a light push towards the portal.

“Go on, kiddo. Sunset’s not going to wait for you forever.”

* * *

**[CONTINUE?]**

**(If you leave here, your adventure will really be over. It will be the end.)**

***Don’t leave *I’m ready**


	40. Blank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite everything, it's still you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For greetingsfrommars, my dear friend who has supported my creativity and inspired me to write this journey. It’s almost unbelievable that it was only last year that all of this began in an empty place with a single door. This love letter to Undertale, AUs and its Multiverse is my gift to you.

The air on top of Mt. Ebott is crisp and fresh. Everything is washed in a soft, golden color. You step through to the other side of the portal and onto the path leading to the edge of the mountain top. Entranced, you take a few steps further from the portal and over to the mountain grass lining the edge. The sun has dipped partway down the horizon line, outlining the silhouettes of the nearby city and a neighboring mountain.

_“Wow,”_ you breathe.

You hear the soft paddling of Ink’s bare feet as he makes his way over to your side. He stands at your side, shoulder to shoulder. He leans against Broomy as he takes in the view. You wonder how familiar this scene is to him. Surely, he must’ve seen so many endings as the Guardian of AUs.

You hear the portal close behind you both. You wait for a few moments to hear another set of footsteps to follow. It never comes. You stamp out the disappointment that bubbles in your chest. Instead, you focus on Ink, who’s still deep in thought.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” He doesn’t respond. He’s not even looking at the sight in front of him. Or even at you for that matter. You look down at your lap and thread your fingers together, feeling more alone than ever. “I bet there’s a million other more beautiful sights in the Multiverse, but this is all I’ve ever wanted to see ever since I’ve learned that it existed.”

“…Why?”

Ink asks this question so quietly you nearly dismiss it as a figment of your lonely imagination. But he spoke. And now, he’s looking at you and waiting for an answer.

“This _Aftertale_ was the AU Error came from.” At Ink’s visible confusion, you laugh. It must not be common knowledge then. “He went by Geno at that time. We were supposed to end up right here after breaking the barrier and freeing monsterkind.” Your smile fades. “But then things…happened. And before I knew it, I was out in the big, wide Multiverse.”

“And then what happened?”

Ink’s curiosity surprises you. The heavy contemplation that had weighed down onto his features is momentarily lifted as he leans forward for more of your story.

And who are you to deny him? With a smile, you tell him an abridged version of your adventures. Ink is a captive audience, and you find that it’s nice to see him filled with excitement and wonder all over again. “Oh Creators,” he wheezes and wipes away a tear from all his laughing, “I can’t believe you were the one behind all those Jerry’s. I think it was the first time I saw Blue so horrified!”

“Was he really?”

“Eh, don’t be too sad about it Blank. He got over it. Besides, you should be proud! You managed to juggle between keeping yourself alive and not killing anybody during your time as Nightmare’s intern!” Despite the symbols of his eyelights constantly shifting as he talks, Ink’s eyelights retain their green and yellow colors. Eventually, his laughter trails off into contemplation. “This all sounds so familiar…”

You shrug. “Well, sure it is. This entire run through the ‘Underground’ was modeled after most of my adventures. Everyone I met were all saved from nonexistence. I was able to see them again.” A particularly cool breeze ruffles your hair. You breathe in the sweet air and close your eyes for a brief moment to enjoy the cool sensation. You open your eyes. “I even get to enjoy this wonderful view in my last moments. I can’t be happier.”

“Are you really happy?” There’s a strange hitch to Ink’s voice when he asks this.

“Yes, I am.” You stare out at the sinking sun. It’s only a sliver of what it had been now.

“I don’t understand you, Blank.” You start at seeing frustration on Ink’s features when he forces your attention away from the sunset and over to him. His eyelights blaze red. “There are so many people who love you. There are so many places you’ve never been to. _You have so much to live for._ You _have_ to see that. Why are you so ready to give up? Where did that Determination go?” he demands, voice rising louder and louder. Angry tears start to roll down his face. He looks over to the sunset with such hatred that it strikes you cold. “All of this just for one, empty moment with no one except a soulless _monster_ to keep you company. _This_ wasn’t what you wanted, was it? You wanted what followed _after_. A life with your friends. But that can’t happen. Doesn’t that make you angry? It’s not _fair!_ ”

**(…)**

“It _isn’t_ fair.”

Ink flinches at your admittance. He must be surprised by how easily you admit it. His anger crumbles when he sees your face. You’re crying. You’re _scared._ “It’s so unfair that I can hardly bear it. I wanted to spend more time with everyone. I wanted to see more of the Multiverse. _I don’t want to go._ ”

You let that broken confession linger between the both of you. After it settles, you gather your wits and tears to continue.

“But I have to.” With a deep breath, you let your grief and your fears go. You feel lighter with your acceptance. “It’s sad and unfair and frustrating, but it’s also not something that I can change. All stories end, Ink.” You reach out and take his hand. “But that’s okay. Even after I’m gone, I’ll be leaving two amazing things to last in my place. The Multiverse and you.”

“How can you be so sure?” Ink implores tearfully. He looks like he desperately wants to believe you but can’t. “What if I mess up? What if I’m not worth it?”

You reach over with your other hand and wipe away the tears streaming down his face. “Look at you. You’re crying for me. The Ink back in the Ruins wouldn’t have done that. If this is how much you’ve changed just because of a taste of emotion, imagine how much you’ll change once you have a soul.”

You take his other hand and give them both an encouraging squeeze.

“I can’t wait. You’re going to be great, Ink, I just know it!”

At that moment, your feet buckle under you. Ink’s eyelights turn into exclamation points as he scrambles to catch you. “Blank!”

You feel someone steady you from behind just as Ink manages to get a good enough grip on you.

“Easy there, kiddo.”

You feel yourself slowly being set down onto the ground. You glance over your shoulder though you already have a sense of who it is.

“Error.” Warmth swells in your chest at the sight of his dark-colored bones. “Where were you? Ink and I were waiting for you for a while.” You catch sight of the slowly darkening sky and give him a chiding look. “You missed the sunset.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you forgive him easily and pat the spaces next to you, “we still have the stars to watch together.”

Despite the sun being tucked away out of sight. It takes a while for the sky to darken enough for the stars to come into sight. You, Ink, and Error fill the time by talking. Ink talks about the beautiful sights in the Multiverse that his flimsy memory managed to recall. Error talks about topics that ranged from constellations to crochet patterns.

And you? You talk about your passions, your dreams, and your wishes. You talk about simple lives and grand adventures.

When the stars come out, all conversation fades away. You all take in the sight together. How beautiful it is. How small you three are in comparison to the universe. You feel your chest give a telltale throb, making you clutch it.

**(It’s time.)**

“Blank?”

You look up and smile weakly at Ink and Error. No words needed to be spoken. They know.

Ink gathers you up into his arms and holds you close as if the action alone would make you stay. You slump against him as you slowly begin to lose feeling in all of your body.

“I’m tired.” You look imploringly at the both of them. “Stay with me?”

“Yes,” Ink clutches you tighter against his chest, “of course.”

You see Error take one of your limp hands and give it a squeeze despite how terribly he’s starting to glitch. “We’ll be here until the end, kiddo.”

And so, they do. They stay and hold on as the soul in your chest gets ready to separate from your body. 

_Is it going to hurt?_

**(No. It will be like going to sleep.)**

_Tell me what will happen to all of them._

**(The Multiverse will be safe. The newly recovered AUs will rise and fall. Time will continue to cycle and tangle as Creators find new ways to tell the same story. The sapling will grow into a grand Tree of Feelings under the care of Nightmare and Dream. Error will continue to destroy. Ink will continue to create. All of your friends will mourn for a time, it is true, but they will also lead happy lives.)**

_Really? That’s sounds so wonderful. Oh. This is strange. The soul isn’t here anymore. Where did it go?_

**(Do not worry. It’s still completely intact. It’s moving from your body to Ink’s where it will turn and settle in its proper place. In this way, the Multiverse’s continued existence is secured.)**

_That soul will always carry a part of me, won’t it?_

**(Yes. In the creation and fall of every AU, a part of you will be there. In rain, snow, sun, and wind, a part of you will be there. In happy endings and in tragic partings, a part of you will be there. No matter how many new emotions my brother experiences with his soul, a part of your own experiences will linger. You will not disappear.)**

_And then? What will happen to the rest of me?_

**(Your body, which would have never experienced a story of its own without you, is now content. The code that makes up its form falls apart and entangles itself into this very spot where it will protect this AU from the dangers of the Multiverse now and forevermore.)**

_And then?_

**(The part of you which is neither body nor soul remains. It is untethered. It floats up, up, up into the sky and the stars and beyond, leaving everything behind. It’s free. It’s finally going home.)**

_…And then?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **You wake up.**
> 
> **…**
> 
> **Welcome back.**
> 
> **It’s been quite an adventure you’ve had. You’ve traveled to many worlds. You’ve met and befriended many monsters. You laughed. You cried. All through the eyes of Blank. All through that little soul.**
> 
> **And now, that little soul holds the weight of the entire Multiverse.**
> 
> **Wonderous things, aren’t they? Souls. They’re treated so carelessly because of their simple appearance, but they mean everything once you lose it. Bringing a tattered soul back to life is no easy matter. It requires time, effort, and sacrifice. What a sacrifice it was.**
> 
> **All the friends you made, all the AUs you learned about, all of them are safe. Take a deep breath. There’s nothing left to worry about.**
> 
> **All is well thanks to you.**
> 
> **Thank you, Reader, for joining Blank in their journey. It is with great hopes that you all continue to create, read, and love as you move forward to the next adventure.**
> 
> **Good night.**
> 
> [[Click Here]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDKK_kG7zkU)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Determination...2.0??? Dating START!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27386500) by [Zakyuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zakyuu/pseuds/Zakyuu)




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